TOURISTS will FINALLY be able to pose outside Big Ben again next year – when the scaffolding comes down from the £61m restoration.
The Elizabeth Tower renovation – which has involved replacing each of the 3,433 cast iron roof tiles – reached its halfway point today.
The massive clock has been removed and reconditioned piece by piece – with 324 pieces of lovingly-made glass installed in accordance with the original design.
The stonework has been repaired using British Cadeby stone from Doncaster, while gilding has been reapplied to each of the letters around the dials.
Charlotte Claughton, Senior Project Leader, said: "We are really excited to be reaching the halfway stage in the Elizabeth Tower restoration project.
"Late next year we will be in a position to start taking down scaffolding to reveal this much-loved landmark restored to its former glory."
Big Ben in numbers
Standing at 315 feet high, the tower is the focal point of the Grade I-listed Palace of Westminster, which forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Elizabeth Tower is also the most photographed building in the UK.
Completed in 1856, the tower was designed by architects Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin and took 13 years to build.
Its construction required 2600 cubic metres of brick and 850 cubic metres of stone.
It began telling time on May 31, 1859.
Big Ben chimed for the first time on July 11, 1859.
The 14-tonne Great Bell was last stopped for maintenance in 2007 and before that was halted for two years in 1983 for refurbishment.
The current restoration project will mark the longest period of silence for the bell.
However, it will still sound on big occasions such as New Year's Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Adam Watrobski, the principal architect, said: "The postwar repairs were rather ‘make do and mend’ and were not discovered until we started stripping the roof off.
"This involved some extra work to the cast iron structure and may well have contributed to the higher number of recast elements needed, but the important thing is that we have ensured that both the clock and the tower will be there and working for future generations.”
Steve Jaggs, Keeper of the Great Clock, added: "It is a testament to the craftsmanship that went into its creation, and the expert team maintaining it, that 160 years since Big Ben rang out on 11 July 1859, both the Great Bell and the Great Clock still remain in fantastic condition.
"The Great Clock and its bell have become much loved representatives of our democracy and the conservation works currently taking place will ensure that it continues to be so for generations to come."
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