Scaffolding increased in 2017 and the bill for the project rose from an initial estimate of £29m to around £80m – with an additional £9m provided to cover Covid-related costs. It is hoped that soon all the clock faces will be turning again and the iconic chimes will be ringing steadily across London. Sir Charles Walker, who sits on the House of Commons Committee, gave an update on the project.
He said: ‘The Elizabeth Tower and Great Clock are currently undergoing the largest conservation project in the 160 years since Big Ben and the Quarter Bells began to chime. Following conservation offsite, the clock mechanism – which typically powers the hammers that strike the Great Bell (Big Ben) and the four quarter bells – is currently being reinstalled in the tower and tested.
“Dusty work is still in progress in the tower’s ventilation shaft, which has forced the hands of the West Dial to stand still to avoid damage to both the hands and the mechanism itself. The clock hands on the west dial should start working again in late spring once this work is complete.
“The illumination of dials and the return of regular ringing of bells should resume before the conservation project ends this summer.”
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-02 15:12:00
