Big Ben rings final bongs before repairs

21 August 2017, 2:21 pm

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London’s iconic Big Ben bongs the hour for the last time for the next four years as the clock tower undergoes repairs.

The giant bell atop Parliament’s clock tower rings out 12 times at noon, as parliamentary staff, lawmakers and passersby paused to listen.

Big Ben's bongs have sounded the hour for the final time until 2021 time while it undergoes conservation work pic.twitter.com/hQ52BhdBuy

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 21, 2017

The sound fades away, starting what is scheduled to be the bell’s longest period of silence since it first rang out in 1859.

It is not due to resume regular timekeeping until 2021, though it will sound on special occasions such as New Year’s Eve.

Scaffolding is erected around the Elizabeth Tower, which includes the landmark 'Big Ben' clock, as part of ongoing conservation efforts at the Palace of Westminster in London, August 3, 2017. (AP/Caroline Spiezio) — Scaffolding is erected around the Elizabeth Tower, which includes the landmark ‘Big Ben’ clock, as part of ongoing conservation efforts at the Palace of Westminster in London, August 3, 2017. (AP/Caroline Spiezio)

The break will allow workers to carry out much-needed maintenance to the Victorian clock and clock tower. But some lawmakers have criticized the lengthy silence, calling Big Ben an important symbol of British democracy. They want the time scale for repairs tightened.

— with AP