Big Ben Silenced for Repairs

Big Ben silenced for repairs, won't tell the time either
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 11, 2007 4:14 PM CDT
Big Ben Silenced for Repairs
Workmen clean the clock face of St Stephens Tower which houses Big Ben in London Saturday Aug. 11, 2007. Big Ben is losing its bongs _ temporarily. The famous bell that sounds the hour at Britain's Houses of Parliament is to fall silent for scheduled repairs for only the fourth time in a century and...   (Associated Press)

The world’s most famous clock chimed its last tones of August at 8 AM this morning, and its hands were set to 12:00. Though it will soon tell time again, Big Ben will be silent for at least a month as it undergoes maintenance, the Guardian reports. This morning Londoners watched the work begin, as a group of "industrial rope access technicians" repelled down the clock face.

Observers will soon see scaffolding erected to facilitate the replacement of several crucial bell components. An alternative electric time-telling mechanism is also to be installed. The work is the last phase of a plan to spruce up the landmark for its 150th anniversary in 2009. (More London stories.)

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