Big Ben’s clock stopped this morning. Here’s why and when London’s most iconic watch will restart
As one of London’s most iconic landmarks, Big Ben fell silent this morning and everyone noticed.
The Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Great Bell, i.e. Big Ben, stopped chiming on Wednesday morning after its dials displayed at the wrong time.
Christopher Hope, political editor at GB News posted on X saying the clock had stopped at 9am and that by 10, it still hadn’t restarted.
This comes after Big Ben underwent a major refurbishment which cost £80m between 2017-21. Initially, it was thought it would cost just £29m. The job meant it was covered in scaffolding, so tourists were not able to take pictures of the landmark.
The House of Commons confirmed Morning Wire that the clock was now functioning correctly, and had been doing so since 10:10.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: “We are aware that the clock dials on the Elizabeth Tower were temporarily displaying the incorrect time this morning.”
“Teams worked quickly to rectify the issue and carried out servicing to the mechanism, which has now completed.”
The spokesperson continued: “The clock dials of the Elizabeth Tower are currently functioning as normal and no risks to the integrity of the mechanism have been identified.
“Following the historic refurbishment of the Great Clock, rigorous and regular servicing takes place in line with horological industry standards, to ensure the clock can continue to function correctly.”