If you hear “Big Ben”, then most likely you imagine the most famous symbol of Great Britain in the world. The photo below is exactly what you think is Big Ben.
This tower is usually called Big BenSome people call this the tetrahedral clock tower built in the northern part of the Palace of Westminster. Others say it is the name of the watch itself. But in fact, Big Ben is the name of the largest bell inside the tower.
We can say that Big Ben is a 3-in-1 attraction. Moreover, all three are quite interesting and practically inseparable from each other. Therefore, in this article we will take a detailed look at not only the bell, but also the clock tower. We will apply the name “Big Ben” not only to the bell.
Where is Big Ben
The most famous symbol of Great Britain is located in the center of London, 1300 meters east Buckingham Palace. Nearby is Westminster Bridge over the Thames.
Geographic coordinates 51.500800, -0.124770
Tower
Elizabeth Tower (originally Elizabeth Tower) is what it has been officially called since 2012. This name was given to her in honor of the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II. Before that it was called “Clock Tower”. And during the reign of Queen Victoria, even St. Stephen's Tower.
It was built in 1859 in the Gothic style. The architect was Augustus Welby Pugin.
Interesting fact - the Big Ben Tower was the last project in Augustus's life. He later went mad and died soon after.
The total height including the spire is 96.3 meters. This is taller than the Statue of Liberty in the USA. To climb to the level of the bell tower, you will have to overcome a staircase with 334 steps.
Interesting fact - Although the tower has become London's most famous tourist attraction, access inside is closed to tourists. True, exceptions are occasionally made for VIPs and journalists.
The tower rests on a square foundation with sides 15.2 meters long. The base is filled with concrete 3 meters thick. The internal volume of the tower is 4650 m3.
The tower has a northwest inclination of 0.26 degrees. It would seem not much, but the deviation from the axis in the upper part is already 43.5 centimeters. Of course, it is far from it, but it cannot be called perpendicular either. Experts believe the deviation will not affect the building for the next 4,000 years.
In addition to the inclination, the tower also fluctuates annually by several millimeters in the direction from east to west. This occurs due to the thermal effects of expansion and contraction.
Fireworks at Big Ben Watch
The clock on the tower of Big Ben became the third largest four-sided striking clock on the planet.
They started working on May 31, 1859. At that time it turned out to be the largest and most accurate four-sided clock on Earth.
Clock in numbers
- Dial diameter – 7 meters
- The length of the minute hand is 4.2 meters
- The length of the hour hand is 2.7 meters
The circumference of the dials is covered with gold plating. Each of them has a Latin inscription that translates as “God save our Queen Victoria I.” Plus, on the sides of the clock there are also inscriptions in Latin, which translate as “Glory to God.”
Clockwork
The clock mechanism contains a pendulum placed inside a windproof box. Its length is 4 meters and its weight is 300 kilograms. The pendulum stroke is 2 seconds.
It is worth noting interesting feature clock adjustments.
The pendulum has space for... coins. These are 1 penny coins. They are placed in a pendulum, and each coin speeds up the clock by 0.4 seconds per day.
The total weight of the entire watch mechanism is 5 tons.
When did the clock stop?
Despite the high accuracy and reliability of the watch, it stopped periodically. Here are the most famous cases.
- On the night of June 4, 1941, the clock stopped for exactly 12 hours (from 10:13 pm to 10:13 the next morning). This happened after the person working on the dial left the hammer too close to the mechanism
- On August 12, 1949, the clocks were 4.5 minutes slow. The culprit was a flock of starlings that sat on the minute hand
- On August 5, 1976, the largest breakdown occurred. For the first time in 117 years, the clock stopped due to natural fatigue of the mechanism. The restoration lasted 9 months. During this period, the clock did not work for a total of 26 days. On May 9, 1977 they started working again. This turned out to be the longest interruption in work since their installation.
- Before the New Year 1962, the clock slowed down due to ice adhering to the hands. Because of this, New Year came 9 minutes late
- On May 27, 2005, the clock stopped due to the heat
- On August 11, 2007, renovation work began. For the first time since installation, the bearings in the dials and the Big Bell were replaced. It was assumed that after this the clock would not need repairs for at least another 200 years. But in fact, just 10 years later, repairs were needed again
It is noteworthy that during work on the mechanical part, the clock was driven by a special electric motor.
It is worth noting the non-standard work of Big Ben on July 27, 2012. On the morning of this day, the clock struck 30 times in 3 minutes in honor of the opening of the 30th Olympic Games.
There are a total of 5 bells in the tower. So the heaviest of them is called Big Ben, or simply “Big Bell”.
This giant weighs 13.7 tons. It was cast in 1958 and installed on the tower in 1859. At that time it was the heaviest in the whole of Great Britain.
That's exactly what it's called Big Ben Big Ben held the championship among heavyweights for only 23 years. In 1881, it was supplanted by the Big Paul bell, weighing 17 tons. It is installed in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Note that the bell was cast before the tower was completed. Therefore, he was temporarily placed in the Palace of Westminster.
During the tests, the bell cracked, and a new one had to be hastily cast. On April 10, 1858, it was ready. The bell's height is 2.29 meters and its diameter is 2.74 meters.
Interesting fact - It took 16 horses and 18 hours to deliver the Big Ben bell and install it in the tower.
The second bell suffered another setback - it also cracked. It turned out that the hammer was significantly heavier than the calculated parameters. I had to repair it. The crack was restored by removing a small square part of the body, and the bell was turned around. To this day it is virtually cracked. Naturally, Big Ben's original sound has changed.
In addition to the giant Ben, there are 4 more bells. They call every 15 minutes.
Why Big Ben?
Where this name comes from is not known for certain. There are two versions on this matter.
According to the first, the name Big Ben appeared in honor of Benjamin Hall. He supervised the installation of the bell. Rumor has it that he himself jokingly suggested calling the bell Big Ben.
The second version claims that the name was given in honor of the English boxing champion - heavyweight Benjamin Count.
It is said that the Great Bell was originally named Victoria (appropriately in honor of Queen Victoria). But information about this has not been preserved.
When was Big Ben silent?
- Bells did not sound for 2 years during World War I
- On January 30, 1965, they fell silent during the funeral of the legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
- On 17 April 2013, the bells were not rung as a sign of respect during the funeral of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
On August 21, 2017, repair work began on the tower. They will last 4 years.
During the renovation, it is planned to add an elevator and repaint all four dials.
During the work, Big Ben will be silent, with the exception of the New Year and Christmas holidays.
The total cost of restoration work is 61 million pounds sterling.
Big Ben in tourism
This is perhaps the most iconic landmark not only in London, but throughout the UK. In fact, it is a symbol of the country.
The image of Big Ben appears wherever it is necessary to demonstrate that something belongs to English culture.
Big Ben (tower, clock and bell) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
In the era of rapid development of the virtual world, Big Ben has become an integral part of it. He has his own account on the social network Twitter. Every hour there are entries in the “BONG” format. The number of these BONGs naturally depends on time. Moreover, more than 460,000 people follow his account.
What is it impossible to imagine good old England without? The legendary five o'clock tea, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and, of course, the famous Big Ben. It has long become something more than just a tourist symbol - the importance of this seemingly “just a landmark” for tourists and local residents is difficult to overestimate.
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There are many interesting facts and stories associated with Big Ben, which some people are not even aware of. Even tour guides often do not have time to mention all the unusual and fascinating moments.
1. The world-famous name Big Ben is not an official one. If you believe official documents, then until 2012 the tower was called the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, and in 2012 it was renamed the Elizabethan Tower. The British themselves often call Big Ben St. Stephen's Tower.
2. The total height of Big Ben, from the base to the end of the spire, is 96.3 meters. This means that she is taller than even the New York Statue of Liberty.
3. The ringing of Big Ben was heard at a distance of 8 kilometers. Due to the design features of the structure, this sound is unique.
4. The chimes continued to sound even during wars; they were “silent” only during the restoration of 1983-1985 and the planned repairs carried out in 2007 (of course, not counting cases of unexpected breakdowns, which were repaired quite quickly). On August 21, 2017, at 12-00, the bell struck for the last time - until 2021, Big Ben is closed for major restoration.
5. “Silence” is also associated with tragic events in the life of England. For example, Big Ben was “silent” during Margaret Thatcher’s funeral.
6. In 2012, Big Ben went “off schedule.” On the morning of July 27, the bell struck 40 times at once. In honor of the opening of the Olympic Games.
7. Statistics buffs have calculated that the minute hands of Big Ben travel a considerable distance of 190 kilometers in a year.
8. Big Ben has official significance not only for England, but for the whole world. Officially, the New Year on the planet begins with the first strike of the bell on January 1. Interestingly, those who live in the area of Westminster Abbey hear thirteen blows on this night. This is because radio waves travel faster than sound.
9. For some time, there was a prison in the Big Ben tower, where unwanted members of parliament were imprisoned.
10. In the 21st century, when technological progress reigns all around, the caretaker of the Big Ben clockwork was almost fired for not noticing a lag of 1 second. Another failure, for as much as 4 minutes, was recorded in 1949. It was caused by birds landing on the arrow.
And finally, one more interesting fact. Big Ben is the only attraction that has its own Twitter account. The tower doesn’t “speak” much, its only word is “BONG” (the number of “bongs” depends on the time of day), but every hour. Thus, any Internet user, no matter where he is, becomes a listener of Big Ben without any problems.
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Big Ben (Great Britain) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster in London is known throughout the world as Big Ben. Meetings of the House of Lords and the House of Commons are held in the Palace of Westminster, in the many kilometers of corridors of the palace it is easy to lose the right direction, there is hardly a person who has visited all of its 1200 rooms, but the most famous part of the palace - the clock tower - is known, without exaggeration, to everyone world and is one of the most striking architectural symbols of the city.
The height of the tower is 96 meters, and a narrow spiral staircase of 334 steps is hidden inside it. After passing them all, you can get to a small open area where the famous bell Big Ben is located. It is he who strikes the time every hour, and it is his sounds that are transmitted every hour on BBC radio. It was this bell that gave the name to both the clock and the tower itself.
The bell is large: 2 meters in height and 3 meters at the base. The dimensions of the watch are no less striking: their diameter is 7 meters, and the hands are 2.7 and 4.2 m long.
The clock was put into operation on May 21, 1859 (the tower itself was built a year earlier) and to this day is listed as the largest clock in the world. Their four dials are made of opaline glass, bordered by gilded frames and have a Latin inscription, which means “God save our Queen Victoria”. These watches also have global significance: officially New Year on planet Earth begins with the first stroke of Big Ben on January 1st.
It is interesting that Londoners living near the Palace of Westminster New Year's Eve hear the thirteen chimes of Big Ben: the effect is due to the fact that the speed of sound is slower than the speed of radio waves.
Unfortunately, the general public does not have the opportunity to climb the Big Ben tower: safety concerns come first. But from time to time, representatives of the press and various important guests of Great Britain get the opportunity to climb it. But even important guests are forced to climb the steps of the stairs on their own: there are no lifts inside the tower.
The Big Ben Clock Tower systematically becomes the “heroine” of many films, personifying the image of London.
Everyone knows in which country Big Ben is located - the symbol of London and Great Britain. Some believe that Big Ben is the clock on the tower of the Palace of Westminster, others believe that this is the name of the tower itself. But in fact, Big Ben is a huge bell that strikes the time in the main clock of the capital of Great Britain.
The main chimes of London were designed back in the 40s of the 19th century. Charles Barry decided to add a clock tower to it during the reconstruction. The government allocated funds for its construction on the condition that the most accurate clock in the capital would be located there, and its ringing would be heard in every corner of London.
Big Ben Clock Tower
The design of the tower was proposed by Augustus Pugin, who also designed the dial. The tower, made in the neo-Gothic style, like the rest of the Palace of Westminster, rises 96 meters above the ground. It was installed on a 15-meter concrete foundation and topped with a spire.
At a height of 55 meters, according to Pugin's design, the largest clock not only in London, but throughout the world was to be installed.
The tower in which Big Ben is located was called the "Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster" until 2012, but on the Queen's Birthday it was renamed the "Elizabeth Tower".
Big Ben clock in London
The watch dial was assembled from 312 pieces of opal glass and enclosed in a steel frame with a diameter of 7 meters. After installation, the discs were gold plated around the edges. Under the dial on each side of the tower there is an inscription in Latin: “ God save our Queen Victoria».
The minute hands of the clock (4.2 meters long) are made of copper, and the hour hands (2.7 meters) are made of cast iron. A complex clock mechanism weighing 5 tons was assembled inside the tower itself, and a pendulum weighing 300 kg was placed under the clock room.
E.D. was responsible for the creation of the clock mechanism. Dent. He developed a complex mechanical system with high precision. A special caretaker monitors the correct operation of the watch. The mechanism is checked and lubricated every two days.
Big Ben Bell
At the request of the London Parliament, the bell of the new clock had to surpass all existing ones in Great Britain in terms of sound volume.
Its creation was entrusted to the famous master E.B. Denison. He dreamed of making his creation unique and outdoing the 10-ton York bell “Great Peter”. Denison changed the usual recipe to cast the largest bell in the Kingdom, weighing 16 tons.
This huge thing was delivered to the tower on a cart drawn by 16 horses. Alas, the bell could not withstand the blows inflicted by a heavy hammer and cracked. It was decided to remove it and replace it with a new one, weighing 13.7 tons, and also change the hammer to a lighter one.
But this did not help either - the bell cracked again. This time they decided to limit themselves to repairs: a cut was made so that the crack could not spread further, and Big Ben itself was turned 90 degrees.
And so, on May 31, 1859, the whole of London heard the resonating ringing of the new chimes, and for over 150 years Big Ben has been sounding regularly every hour. In addition to Big Ben himself, several small bells chime the Cambridge chime: ": " At this hour the Lord protects me, and His strength will not allow anyone to stumble».
The precision of Big Ben's ringing is simply amazing: the first strike of the bell occurs in the first second of the hour. This is strictly monitored by special workers, and if the clock suddenly starts to lag, an old English penny is placed on the pendulum, speeding up the clock by 2.5 seconds. per day. If Big Ben starts to overtake real time, the coin is removed.
Big Ben: name and its legends
There are several versions of why the bell was named Big Ben. According to one of them, he was named after Lord Benjamin Hall.
According to legend, Sir Hall began to give a terribly boring speech at a meeting about the name of the bell, and someone shouted: “ Call the bell Big Ben and put an end to this hopeless business!" The parliamentarians laughed and decided to do just that. The funny thing is that Sir Hall was called Big Ben because of his solid build and sonorous voice.
Attractions: Big Ben and Palace of Westminster
Another version of the origin of the name is less interesting. It is believed that the bell was named after the famous boxer of those times.
How to get inside the Big Ben clock tower?
This question interests many people. Alas, but Foreign tourists can only look at the Elizabeth Tower from the outside. Visiting the clockwork is only available to British citizens with special permission. 
Residents of the Kingdom can climb 334 steps, look at the clockwork from the inside, and even look at London from a height of 62 meters.
Where is Big Ben?
Big Ben is located in the very center of London, it is simply impossible to miss it.
Metro station: Westminster.
Bus: all with a stop near Parliament Square
Big Ben website: www.parliament.uk/bigben
What do you see in the photo? Big Ben is a bell tower in London, part of the architectural complex of the Palace of Westminster. So they say numerous sites in the Internet. But it's not quite like that. Let's still find out what London's Big Ben is and what is shown in the photo above.
Big Ben is not at all the tall tower of the Palace of Westminster (popularly known as the Parliament), which is usually depicted on every second postcard with views of London. And not even the clock that decorates this tower. Big Ben is a bell that is located behind the clock face. It weighs almost 14 tons, is more than two meters high, and has a diameter of about three meters.
Residents of London no longer wince when they hear “Big Ben Tower” from tourists. Although in fact Big Ben is the largest of the six bells of the Westminster Abbey clock tower. It is he who beats the time, hence the confusion. It was christened that way on May 31, 1859, the day the clock was launched. The name was chosen by parliament. The loudest shouter at the meeting on the clock was Forestry Supervisor Benjamin Hall, a direct and vocal man.
There were more jokes about him than about Putin, and behind his back Hall was called “Big Ben.” After another particularly stupid remark from Hall, a voice was heard from the audience: “Let’s call the bell Big Ben and go home!” The audience burst into laughter, but the nickname stuck. According to another, Big Ben was named after Benjamin Count, an extremely popular heavyweight boxer at the time. That's it. And the tower in which the bell hangs, by the way, is called Saint Stephen (St. Stephen's Tower)
In 1844 By decision of the English Parliament, a commission was created to build a tower with an accurate clock. The clock was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison in 1851. He also took up the task of casting the bell of the tower clock. However, wanting to “outdo” the heaviest bell in York at that time, weighing 10 tons (“Great Peter”), he changed the traditional shape of the bell and the composition of the metal alloy.
While the tower was not completed, the bell was installed in New Palace Yard. Cast in 1856, the first bell was transported to the tower on a cart drawn by 16 horses, which was constantly surrounded by crowds as it moved. Unfortunately, during the trial test the bell cracked and required repairs.
Then Denison, who by this time was already called Sir Edmund Beckett, the first Baron of Glimthorpe, turned to the Whitechapel company, which at that time was owned by the foundry master George Mears.
It was rebuilt at a foundry and weighed 13.76 tons. The new bell was cast on April 10, 1858; after cleaning and the first tests, it was transported on sixteen decorated horses to the Parliament building. It took 18 hours to get it up the tower. The bell is 2.2 m high and 2.9 m wide. This new bell, cast by John Warner & Sons to Denison's design, first rang in July 1859.
To the great chagrin of Denison (who considered himself a leading expert not only in the field of bell casting, but also in many other areas), just two months later the bell cracked again. According to foundry manager George Merce, Denison used a hammer that was more than twice the maximum allowable weight.
For three years Big Ben was not used, and the clock rang at its lowest quarter bells until the main bell was reinstalled. To repair, part of the metal on the frame around the crack was cut, and the bell itself was rotated so that the hammer was in a different place. Big Ben rang with a broken, drawn-out ringing and continues to be used today with a crack. At the time of its casting, Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until "Big Paul" was cast in 1881, a 17-ton bell currently housed in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Big Ben and the other small bells surrounding it chime the following words: “Through this hour the Lord protects me and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble.” Every 2 days the mechanism is thoroughly checked and lubricated, taking into account daily temperature and pressure.
But, like any clock mechanism, the clock on the tower of the English Parliament is sometimes late or in a hurry, but even such a small error (1.5 - 2 seconds) forced a solution to be found in due time. To correct the situation, you only need a coin, an old English penny, which, when placed on a 4-meter-long pendulum, accelerates its movement by 2.5 seconds per day. By adding or subtracting pennies, the caretaker achieves accuracy.
1916: For two years during the First World War, the bells were not rung and the dials were darkened at night to prevent attacks by German Zeppelins.
September 1, 1939: Although the bells continued to ring, the dials were darkened at night throughout World War II to prevent attacks by Nazi German pilots.
New Year's Eve 1962: The clock slowed down due to heavy snow and ice on the hands, causing the pendulum to be separated from the movement, as is the design in such circumstances, to avoid serious damage to another part of the mechanism. Thus, the clock rang for the New Year 10 minutes later.
August 5, 1976: the first and only truly serious damage. The speed regulator of the ringing mechanism broke down after 100 years of service, and the 4-ton loads unleashed all their energy on the mechanism at once. This caused great damage - the main clock did not run for a total of 26 days over 9 months, it was started again on May 9, 1977. This was the biggest interruption in their work since construction.
27 May 2005: The clock stopped at 10:07 pm local time, possibly due to the heat (temperatures in London reached an unseasonal 31.8°C). They were restarted but stopped again at 10:20 pm local time and remained idle for about 90 minutes before being restarted.
October 29, 2005: The mechanism was stopped for approximately 33 hours for repair and maintenance work on the clock and bells. It was the longest maintenance closure in 22 years.
At 7:00 a.m. June 5, 2006: The clock tower's "quarter bells" were removed for four weeks because the mount holding one of the bells had become severely worn over time and was in need of repair. During the renovation, BBC Radio 4 broadcast recordings of bird calls and replaced the usual chimes with peeps.
August 11, 2007: Six-week maintenance begins. The chassis and “tongue” of the large bell were replaced for the first time since installation. During the repair, the clock was powered not by the original mechanism, but by an electric motor. Once again BBC Radio 4 had to make do with pips during this time.
These watches gained incredible popularity both in England and abroad. In London, many “Little Bens” appeared, small copies of St. Stephen’s Tower with a clock on top. Such towers are something between architectural structure and living room grandfather clocks - began to be erected at almost all intersections.
The official name of the tower is the "Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster", and it is also called "St Stephen's Tower".
Construction of the 320 pound clock tower began in 1837 with the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne. At this time, the reconstruction of the parliament buildings, damaged by fire in 1834, was underway.
Tower height 96.3 meters (with spire); The clock is located at a height of 55 m from the ground. With a dial diameter of 7 meters and hands measuring 2.7 and 4.2 meters long, the watch has long been considered the largest in the world.
Big Ben's dials face all 4 cardinal directions. They are made from Birmingham opal, the hour hands are cast from cast iron, and the minute hands are made from copper sheet. It is estimated that the minute hands travel a total distance of 190 km per year.
At the base of each of the watch's four dials is the Latin inscription "Domine Salvam fac Reginam nostram Victoriam primam" ("God save our Queen Victoria I").
Along the perimeter of the tower, to the right and left of the clock, is another phrase in Latin - “Laus Deo” (“Glory to God” or “Praise the Lord”).
Until 1912, the clocks were illuminated by gas jets, which were later replaced by electric lamps. The chimes sounded on the radio for the first time on December 31, 1923. In Big Ben, tourists are not allowed to get to the top of the tower, only via a narrow spiral staircase.
334 steps will lead to a small open area, in the center of which is the legendary bell. Its height is more than 2 meters, and its diameter is almost 3 meters.
Big Ben and other small bells seem to contain the following words in their chime: “Through this hour the Lord protects me, and his strength will not allow anyone to stumble.”
After the chimes strike, the first blow of the hammer on Big Ben absolutely coincides with the first second of the beginning of the hour. Every two days, the mechanism is carefully checked and lubricated, and atmospheric pressure and air temperature must be taken into account.
There was a prison in the Tower in which only one person was imprisoned in its entire history, it was Emmeline Pankhurst, a fighter for women's rights. Now there is a monument to her near the parliament.
The clock has become a symbol of the United Kingdom and London, especially in visual media. When TV or film producers want to indicate that the setting is set in Great Britain, they show an image of the Clock Tower, often with red double decker bus or a black taxi in the foreground. The sound of clocks ringing has also been used in audio media, but Westminster Quarters can also be heard from other clocks or devices.
The Clock Tower is the center of New Year's celebrations in the United Kingdom, with radio and television stations broadcasting its chime to welcome the new year. Similarly, on Remembrance Day for those killed in the First and Second World Wars, the chimes of Big Ben mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the beginning of two minutes of silence.
ITN's ten o'clock news features an image of the Clock Tower with the chimes of Big Ben marking the start of the news feed. Big Ben's chimes continue to be used during the news feed and all news reports use a graphical base based on the face of the Westminster clock. Big Ben can also be heard before some news headlines on BBC Radio 4 (6pm and midnight, and 10pm on Sundays), a practice dating back to 1923. The sound of the chimes is transmitted in real time through a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected to the radio and television center.
Londoners who live near Big Ben can hear the thirteen tolls of the bell on New Year's Eve if they listen both live and on radio or TV. This effect is achieved because the speed of sound is slower than the speed of radio waves.
The clock tower has appeared in many films: 1978's The 39 Steps, in which Richard Hannay's character tried to stop a clock (to prevent a bomb from exploding) by hanging on the minute hand of a Western clock; the film "Shanghai Knights" with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson; episode of the Doctor Who story Aliens in London. An animated version of the clock and tower interior were used in the climax of Walt Disney's Big Mouse Detective. In the movie "Mars Attacks!" the tower is destroyed by a UFO, and in the movie "The Avengers" it is destroyed by lightning. The appearance of the "thirteen chimes" mentioned above became the main intrigue in Captain Scarlett and the Mysteron episode "Big Ben Strike Again". In addition, a survey of more than 2,000 people showed that the tower is the most popular attraction in the United Kingdom.
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