Fixing Big Ben

People are fixing Big Ben.

There are clocks.

Hands are long metal pieces that point to numbers on a clock.

Demarcations are lines that show how something is divided.

The belfry is where the bells are in a tower.

Chiming is a clear ringing sound.

A hammer is an object that hits a bell to make a sound.

A crack appeared when Big Ben was hit in 1858.

The work on Big Ben is almost done. It is one of the biggest jobs to fix a famous British building.

Ian Westworth is a clock mechanic.

We are fixing the rollers. We could not fix them while the minute hands were on.

Fixing this clock is a great chance to take it apart, put it back together, and take care of it for years.

Tim Muffett is a BBC Journalist.

The clock faces are a different color now. The numbers and hands were black, but they were originally blue, called Prussian Blue.

The clock is not working, but a computer system makes Big Ben ring on special days.

Mark Collins is a Historian.

We are in the belfry of the Elizabeth Tower, where the chiming bells can be heard all over London.

There is one piece of damage that was left alone.

A crack appeared when Big Ben was hit in 1858. The hammer was too heavy, but it makes the bell sound unique.

Mark Collins is a Historian.

The bell should sound like the note E, but it sounds a bit flat. It will not be changed because it is a familiar sound.

A loved building is showing itself again after being hidden for years.

Did you get it?

A crack appeared when Big Ben was hit in 1858.

The hammer that hit the bell was too heavy.

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