![]() ![]() After that he took us up another flight of stairs to the clock mechanism. Our guide was pretty good and he went into plenty of detail, but there wasn’t a lot to actually see in this first room, just a big poster on the wall and some seats were we could rest and catch our breath. The first part of the talk was all about the history of the bell: who designed it, who built it, and who installed it. Paul’s Cathedral then you will find this easy-peasy. So when you get that scary letter warning you to write your will beforehand, just ignore it – if you’ve ever managed to climb to the top of The Monument or St. So rest assured that you don’t have to climb all 334 steps in one go, which was certainly a big relief to me. And the first part is by far the hardest – 115 steps to the first room. The tour doesn’t include any part of Parliament other than the clock tower itself, so it’s strictly about Big Ben. (So that’s where all of our taxes are going – the MPs are planting trees indoors!) After that you get led through an underground tunnel that takes you below the road towards Big Ben. It’s quite an interesting place to begin because it lets you have a quick nose around a normally inaccessible building – and you can see those notorious trees in the atrium. The meeting point for the tour is across the road in Portcullis House where most of the MPs have their day-to-day offices. ![]() I was seriously starting to have second thoughts. It’s 334 spiral steps to the top which is twenty more than The Monument, and I remember having problems climbing those with my dodgy knees, so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to Big Ben after reading that letter. On the next page they start talking about the stairs: no one with a heart complaint, no one with breathing problems or vertigo can go, and pregnant women shouldn’t even think about it. First of all they make you fill in a spreadsheet with all your personal details so the security people can check you’re not a terrorist, and then they insist that you bring along two forms of ID (like a passport, driving license or utility bill) and if you turn up one minute late you won’t be allowed in (no exceptions!). When you finally get the acceptance letter they make it sound a lot scarier than it actually is. I did that way back in May and was given a tour date four months later – so that shows you how far in advance you have to plan it (or maybe I just have a lousy MP). You have to write a letter to your local MP first and ask for an invite. You can’t just turn up and ask for a tour. ![]() It’s not as easy to get into Big Ben as it is to get into Parliament itself, which is a bit weird. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more London videos Guided tour of Big Ben I’d hammer my ten-tonne bells until the MPs came charging out of Parliament demanding that I shut up. If I were him I’d start whizzing my hands around at 100 mph just for the sheer hell of it, just to break the monotony and let everybody know that I was still there. First a warning, musical then the hour, irrevocable.” Virginia Woolf, writer (1925)Ĭraig’s review… Apparently Big Ben has started leaning two feet to the west because of all the tube trains rumbling under his feet, so I always picture him as a cantankerous old grandad stooping on his arthritic knees, bellowing at the tourists whilst they’re standing there staring at him. Good for kids? ★ ★ ★ Value for money? n/a Worth a visit? ★ ★ ★ “For having lived in Westminster-how many years now? over twenty-one feels even in the midst of the traffic a particular hush, or solemnity an indescribable pause a suspense before Big Ben strikes. Address: Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Parliament Square, Westminster SW1 Contact: Web: parliament.uk Opening hours: Tours are currently suspended because of building works, and are not expected to re-start again until late-2022 Visiting hours may change Time required: A typical visit to Big Ben lasts 5 mins Car parks: Parking near Big Ben Bus routes: 11, 24, 148, 211 Bus fares 2023 Bus fares for children Train stations: Westminster train station Circle District Jubilee is the closest to Big Ben Tube fares 2023 ![]()
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