Just as the Eiffel Tower makes one think of France, or the Statue of Liberty makes one think of America, Big Ben is recognized the world over as the international symbol of Britain.
When I walk to work in Westminster each morning, I have to wind my way through hundreds of tourists from around the world taking selfies in front of the tower – and with good reason: it is a hugely impressive edifice, completed in 1859, and is still one of the largest clock faces in the world; a lasting testament to the genius of Augustus Pugin, Edmund Denison and George Airy who designed it, and the many engineers and workmen who built it.
However, you may have seen in the news that the Clock Tower is now in urgent need of repair. After over 150 years of continuous usage, the clock has only been out of operation a handful of times, even for maintenance. Famously, the clock tower rang on through the blitz during World War II, even after being struck by a bomb. Many people saw this as a symbol of Britain’s strength, continuity and willingness to carry on through adversity.
Now, the time has come to ensure that this important national monument is protected for years and decades to come. It has been known for some time that major repairs and maintenance would need to be done, but inspections by experts in recent months showed that the amount and urgency of this is greater than had been anticipated – and the repair work is predicted to take three years.
I do think it is important that this national symbol is protected, so with several other MPs and Peers (from across the political spectrum) I was invited to go up the tower with the architectural experts to see the task first hand.
It is an incredible sight, and the scale of the mechanisms, the bells and the white glass of the clock face is hard to believe! We were taken right up to the top, up rather alarming spiral iron staircases and into the lamp house at the very top. It was not a venture for the faint-hearted!
Listening to the architectural experts, it is clear that protecting this part of the building will be an enormous task – but given that this is a national symbol and an iconic building I think it is very important that this work is carried out.