Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 22 augusT 2017

Big Ben bell falls silent in London for repairs until 2021

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — After more
than 150 years as Britain’s
most famous timekeeper,
London’s Big Ben bell fell si-
lent Monday for four years
of repair work that will
keep it quiet on all but a
few special occasions.
The giant bell atop Parlia-
ment’s clock tower sent
a dozen deep bongs into
a gray sky at noon, mark-
ing the hour as it has done
almost continuously since
1859. It is not due to resume
its regular duties until 2021.
Hundreds of parliamen-
tary staff, journalists and
lawmakers gathered in a
courtyard under the Vic-
torian clock tower to mark
the moment, while hun-
dreds more tourists and
passers-by lined sidewalks
and filled nearby Parlia-
ment Square, cellphones
held aloft. People record the last bell bong at Elizabeth Tower in London, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
The mood was light-heart- Associated Press
ed — it is, after all, just a
bell — but total silence fell
as the first bong sounded. be right for Big Ben to be si- “Dream on,” he said.
The crowd burst into cheers lent for four years.” “Have you known any
and applause as the last In response to the criti- government project ever
faded away, and bells at cism, House of Commons come in on time and on
nearby Westminster Abbey officials have said they will budget?”
pealed a noisy farewell to take another look at the Big Ben has been silenced
their neighbor. repairs schedule once Par- by malfunction and for re-
The bell is being stilled to liament returns next month pairs before, most recently
allow workers to carry out from its summer break. in 2007, but this stretch is by
much-needed mainte- Labour Party lawmaker far the longest. Parliamen-
nance to the clock and Stephen Pound said it was tary officials say it will still
sad to see the silencing of be heard on special occa-
sions such as New Year’s
Eve. The sound of the 13.5
U.K. ton (15.1 U.S. ton, 13.7
metric ton) bell became
associated with Britain
around the globe through
World War II radio news
broadcasts. The clock
tower — also commonly
called Big Ben, but formally
named the Elizabeth Tower
after Queen Elizabeth II —
is one of London’s most-
photographed buildings.
“Parliament and the clock
tower and Big Ben are just
iconic parts of London and
A general view of the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which hold the Great Britain and so it’s very
bell known as ‘Big Ben” in London, Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. exciting to be out here and
Associated Press
see it,” said Mitchell Polay,
clock tower without being “the chimes of freedom.” visiting one day recently
deafened. But a handful of “You don’t know what from Yonkers, New York. “In
lawmakers have criticized you’ve got till it’s gone,” he the States when you think
the lengthy silence, calling said. of England, that’s one of In this Aug. 3, 2017 file photo, scaffolding is erected around the
Big Ben an important sym- And Pound expressed the first things that pop up Elizabeth Tower, which includes the landmark ‘Big Ben’ clock, as
bol of British democracy. skepticism that the repair into your mind.” part of ongoing conservation efforts at the Palace of Westmin-
Prime Minister Theresa May work would be finished on He felt there must be a way ster in London. Associated Press
said last week that “it can’t schedule in 2021. to keep Big Ben bonging.q