Big Ben |
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Big Ben |
There was much laughter among the members because the man in charge of public buildings, the Chief Commissioner of Works was Sir Benjamin Hall, a very stout big man whose nickname was "Big Ben". From that time the bell has been known as Big Ben. The bell is 7 feet 6 inches high, and 9 feet 6 inches across the mouth. It weights 13.5 tons (about the same as two double-decker buses). "Big Ben" is the name of the bell only - not the clock, and not the tower. The bell is heard at every hour. It is the big bell (13.720 kilograms) with a deep voice, and it counts the hours. Its deep voice is heard on the radio. You may hear, "This is the BBC. The time is six o'clock". And you hear the deep BOOM of Big Ben six times.
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