The new face of Big Ben: Landmark clock’s revamped BLUE dials are seen in fresh footage as workers restore its original Victorian colour scheme during £60million restoration
- Experts have reached the half-way point in the £61m refurbishment of Big Ben
- The tower last underwent major refurbishment between 1983 and 1985
- It is planned to revert the clock face to its original Victorian colour scheme
These amazing images show the painstaking work being undertaken during the £61million refurbishment of Big Ben.
Work on the the Elizabeth Tower – as the structure is officially known – began in early 2017 and is expected to be completed within the next two years.
Big Ben, whose official name the Great Bell, was first heard over Westminster on July 11, 1859.
Big Ben’s clock face is getting a blue tinge as the refurbishment works are returning the historic landmark to its original Victorian colour
Specialist craftsmen have been replacing the gold leaf on the clock face, pictured
Costs on the project have increased from £29m to £61m because of the extent of works needed to protect the structure became apparent.
The last extensive conservation work son the UNESCO World Heritage site were completed between 1983 and 1985.
Part of the restoration scheme will see the clock face return to its original Victorian colour scheme, with dark blue dials and clock hands.
The sneak preview was filmed by parliamentary authorities and released on their Twitter feed.
It will also feature six shields with a red and white English national flag on top of the tower.
The original colour scheme was changed early in the 20th century because the clock face became difficult to read due to soot
An interview with site boss Andrew Dobson shows the blue clock figures in the background
The workers have also re guilded sections of the masonry as they would have looked 160 years ago
This is the first time in 30 years that the UNESCO World Heritage site has been refurbished
The tower was designed by architects Charles Barry and Augstus Wellby Pugin.
In important part of the tower’s restoration is to improve fire prevention standards.
Big Ben’s world-famous bongs were temporarily silenced in August 2017 for the safety of workers involved in a four-year restoration scheme.
The chimes are only being reactivated for special occasions until the work programme is completed, including over Christmas last year.
Parliament’s team of clock mechanics temporarily disconnected Big Ben and the quarter bells from the clock mechanism and lowered the weights to the base of the tower in order to provide a safe environment for the people working in the Elizabeth Tower.
A bespoke electric mechanism has been built to power the 200kg striking hammer which allowed the bell to sound on New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
The £61m project will improve fire safety measures in the 160-year-old tower