When was Big Ben built?

After the old Palace of Westminster burned down in 1834, architect Charles Barry designed a new palace, with Augustus Pugin creating the clock tower. The tower was completed in 1859 and the clock started on 31 May that year, with the Great Bell striking the hours from July. Strictly speaking, Big Ben is the name of the 13.7-tonne bell, not the tower or the clock. The bell cracked only a few months after it was installed, so it was turned and given a lighter hammer, which is why it has a slightly unusual tone. The 96-metre tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.