One of the most iconic images of Great Britain, instantly recognisable the world over, is London's Big Ben. The famous clock has faultlessly chimed the hour for 150 years and is celebrating its anniversary this year. This magnificent new £5 coin struck by the Royal Mint is an official product of London 2012 and celebrates Big Ben as a beloved symbol of Britain.
The reverse, designed by Shane Greeves in conjunction with the Royal Mint Engraving Team, is beautifully symbolic of democracy featuring the ornate clock face along with the profound words from Walter Bagehot - 'Nations touch at their summits'.
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Big Ben Clock Tower
In 2009 Parliament celebrates the 150th anniversary of its celebrated Clock Tower, Great Clock and Great Bell.
The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell, but it was originally given only to the Great Bell; some believe it was named for Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer of the 1850s, but it was likely named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First commissioner for Works 1855-1858, whose name is inscribed on the bell itself. The 11-storey clock tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry in keeping with the neo-Gothic architecture he had chosen for the Palace of Westminster and was completed in 1859. The great clock was started on 31 May that year and the Great Bell's chimes were heard for the first time on 11 July.
Big Ben Facts and Figures
Big Ben is over 96 metres tall and is 12 metres square with a clock dial on each of its four sides. Each dial is seven metres in diameter and is made from cast iron.
The hour figure of four o'clock is shown by the Roman numeral IV, rather than IIII, as is more commonly used on clock dials.
Under each clock dial there is a Latin inscription carved in stone: "Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostrum Victoriam primam" which means "O Lord, save our Queen Victoria the First."
At 9am on 11 August 2007, a team of specialist technicians abseiled down the south clock dial, to spend the day cleaning and repairing the clock dials. This essential work takes place once every five years.
Its incredible accuracy is helped by a coin. Pre-decimal pennies are used to regulate its mechanism: adding one penny causes the clock to gain two-fifths of a second in 24 hours.