Big Ben – the name given to the great bell rather than the actual clock – was installed in the Palace of Westminster clock tower in 1859. Since then it has become Britain’s most famous bell.
Its iconic chimes were first recorded by the BBC on New Year’s Eve in 1923 and are now recorded live by the BBC twice a day, every day, at 6pm and midnight.
And the clock itself, with its four, huge cast iron dials is equally famous.
