Californian Reacts | Inside Big Ben's Makeover
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2024
- Inside the £80M restoration of London's Elizabeth Tower, the iconic structure at the heart of the UK's Palace of Westminster. Big Ben refurbishment shows off St George’s flag hidden for nearly a century. The famous bell has been largely silent since 2017 due to repairs on the clock and Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower which houses it, only being reconnected for significant occasions.
Big Ben will ring again from early next year as the restoration of Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower nears completion.
The refurbishment of the Westminster landmark, which has already spiraled to at least £80 million, was originally expected to be finished this year but was delayed as the Covid-19 crisis held up work.
In a statement, UK Parliament authorities said: “The Elizabeth Tower conservation project is due to complete in the second quarter of 2022, and Parliament has revealed a number of important milestones that are expected on the project over the next twelve months.
Video Chapters:
0:00 | Introduction
2:25 | Inside Big Ben's Makeover
17:05 | Questions & Discussion!
Original Video - • Inside Big Ben's Makeover
The B1M Channel - / @theb1m
#construction #architecture #bigben
What are your thoughts of the Big Ben's (Elizabeth Tower) renovated look? Myself not being a local really enjoys the happier, vibrant look as well with the colors going back to the original color scheme.
Let me know!
It's not just the tower, all of parliament is going to be renovated. Probably the lords as well.
@@neilgayleard3842 Massive renovations. If the Big Ben will cost £80M, I wonder how much the entire renovation for Parliament will cost?
The blue colour was found to be the original colour of the clock face, which they found out during it's restoration. And of course us being England, we restore all of our buildings and heritage to their original condition, which we are proud of. We do the same to our cathedrals and other places of historical interest.
@@californianreacts the cost is vast but it has to be done because The World Heritage demanded it because it's nearly falling down and it being The Mother Modern Parliament , some of the old sods was saying that they could stay in parliament while repairs were going on !!!!!!!
Knowing you like history and old buildings have a look at the rescue of a 500 yr old hall with them repairing / replacing nearly everything from the ground up including making bricks.
Nick Knowles : Heritage Rescue ,
Oxburgh Hall - Norfolk
Tourists - of the Elizabeth Tower "To the Big Ben" wasn't aloud as it would affect the time unless they can maintain the flow of people entering and exiting the building.
I think it's smart being restored to the original. And everyone calls it Big Ben, although technically I know that's just the Bell. Londoners just call the whole thing Big Ben. Very beautiful can't wait to see it again.
As a British person I like the restored / original colours, & i feel that it is fitting that as much care, craftsmenship and artistry is going in to the restoration as when it was originally built, For our ancestors & for our descendants they are doing an amazing job 👍
The two coloured rose is known as a ‘Tudor Rose’ adopted as an emblem by King Henry VII following his conquest of England. He was considered the head of the house of Lancaster whilst his wife Elizabeth was daughter of King Edward IV and head of the House of York. It’s signified the end of the Wars of the Roses.
Thank you, Jamie! I thought I recognized it from the Wars of the Roses video I watched awhile back. Love it!
@@californianreacts no worries, love the videos, thanks for keeping me entertained
Growing up in London and being near the Palace of Westminster the entire stone was pitch black. Over the years the renovations were cleaning and repairs were minimal. Glad to have a fully restored historical icon of the Place of Westminster. At least its future is being mapped for future repairs and restorations, that allow the entire tower to stay as good as new. Well done Philip for finding such a YT gem online. I'm sure there is a BBC version of this that I have seen too.
As someone who works in the cultural sector, here in the U.K., any restoration will return it to its original colour. There was some pushback over the restoration of the HMS Victory colour scheme. It was found the gun ports were originally painted a shade of pink and not the usual yellow!
10 downing Street was originally yellow. The black came from all the soot. People got so used to it that they thought that was the original colour
It's nice to see it get a renovation. I dont think there is any debate about this. It just needs it's regular check ups / clean-ups / restoration work, etc. Of course i prefer the newer look, because in about 75 years it will look the same as it did before the renovation. And then it will be renovated again :) the cycle repeats.
And like the narrator said, these colours are what are shown on the original design
They've been doing this with my local cathedral (rebuilt in the 1100s(?) for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. They hire on-site stone masons who work on building, and i think they also offer apprenticeships to become a stonemason too
I always think of the film the 39 steps when I see the clock face 🙂, it's great we keep up with our restorations here in the u.k. 👍
Also fun fact - the bell itself actually has a pretty big crack which they have decided not to fix since the crack changes the note (rather than being an intended E it is an E flat) which makes it sound like that iconic, more morose tone
Never knew this, I like any fun facts I can hear and learn about :)
@@californianreacts Another fun fact, Big Ben was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, who also cast the Liberty Bell.
@TheRenaissanceman65 the issue was apparently that when it was first rung they put too much weight in the hammer and it chipped it. The bell itself seems to have had no other damage.
More to the point every Brit since the mid 1800s and around a quarter of the world has had that particular note lodged in their mind so changing it would be very strange.
@@californianreacts the bell was made twice, first time it got a recast as the crack was 1.2 meters. then on the second time, they realised it was the hammer the issue, so slightly fixed the crack and put a lighter hammer on. the crack gives it the more serious tone
I used to walk past Big Ben twice a day for years for work. I have been well and truly big bonged. I love the new blue colour!! 😀👍
People within the UK can visit the tower if they are apart of a group, all they need to do is write their MP and ask for a tour of Palace of Westminster, which includes being able to visit the clock tower
Good to know! Somewhat the same situation here on if we want to visit the White House for example. We reach out to a government official to set up tours.
The blue is the original colour and was also found to be the original colour on part of Tower Bridge when it was cleaned and restored some years ago. When open there are tours but these are only for British citizens, who can book via their M.P. I've been on one and the climb stops a couple of times for a rest and you go into a room where the guide gives you some historic details. I was on the tour which included the midday chiming so we got the maximum 12 "bongs" - the distinctive sound is made by the giant bell having a crack in it which appeared shortly after installation. This was the second one as the first cracked even more badly and had to be replaced almost straight away. The striking hammer was reduced in weight to try to stop it happening again. The resonnance is incredible and you have to hold onto something because of the vibration.
I really like the blue and gold, it looks so vivid.
I remember seeing one of the faces a couple of years ago, during the restoration from around by the London Eye and you could clearly see the blue from that far away. Once it’s all done, I’m sure it will look spectacular!
Looking forward to the day it's fully revealed! Although I'll only able to look at pictures and videos of it. Can't wait to go back :)
The only way to get a tour of the Elizabeth Tower is to have signed permission from a MP or above.
Thank you, William!
so much of london spent years covered in black soot/dirt etc I t's great to see ben ben get such a complete rejuvenation
The before and after images are very telling of the time of the black soot/dirt. Much needed renovation, looking great!
@@californianreacts Have a look at the before & after cleaning photos of Buckingham Palace and St Pauls Cathedral sometime.
I was there in 2018 last like yourself, and was disappointed to see the tower covered up, but seeing what's actually being done is amazing and I love the new colours too, I'm fortunate to be able to visit London within a matter of 3 hours as I live in Wales 🏴 there's truly nowhere like it 🇬🇧
Yup! We had no idea that the tower was under renovation, but it gets us both a good excuse to go back some time! Lucky you live so close!
Its going to look brilliant...
Absolutely! A fresh new and original look.
The blue, white and gold faces now (as originally) make it look like they are made from delicate porcelain instead of glass and cast iron.
It will look great! Looking forward to seeing the full tower once the scaffolding is removed.
I love that it's being restored to its original status. I've got a amazing black and white photo of my father painting one of the faces in the 60s.
Only British citizens are allowed to tour the tower, you walk around the inside of the four faces and then up to the mechanism where they teach how they keep it on time. They then take you up to the belfry to see actual Big Ben just in time for it to ring in the hour (earbuds needed!). I went in 2015 and it was fantastic to see up close, unfortunately it's closed for now obviously for the renovation but it's free you only have to write to your local MP (Member of Parliament) and ask. The waiting list is long though.
Yep, security wise image the risk and chaos if they had it as a tourist attraction. Its good that only those truly interested will be able to visit.
back when it was constructed... they thought it would take 6 years to build but it actually took over 20 the original cost was around 700,000£ but it actually cost 2.5 million
I had an opportunity to go to the top of the tower back in 1990, when I was still in high school. My friends and I were told by the guide not to stand against the walls when Big Ben struck 1 o'clock, as it's always used to broadcast the news live and the reverberation might cause us to stumble or fall and that would also be broadcast live! The views from the top were amazing but I remember it taking an age to walk up all of the stairs...
Excellent video. The gong at the start made me laugh
Thank you, and I thought the gong was an appropriate touch to a Big Ben video. I switch things up every once in awhile in my videos to keep it fresh, I hope!
@@californianreacts I though you might be a fan of films made by the Rank Film Organisation. Check out on youtube 'Rank films gongs'
Love the new look and all the hard work gone into it . George from England
Restored by a mile.The Prussian Blue looks fantastic I would like a wristwatch based on that design.
Great idea!!
Available on the UK Parliament website, but they haven’t got a blue version yet.
@@jamessergeant2136 Thank you. I had no idea. I've just had a look at the website and unfortunately(for me)it appears to be a ladies watch. Maybe I should write to my MP and demand a men's version in blue!!
Love the restoration, am pleased they have returned it to original
I live in the North East of England and only been to London twice. There are lots of stunning buildings (lots of ugly ones too) if you get off one of the tubes you literally walk out the station and your under the tower!
Agree! It's all over the place, but mostly stunning :)
I love it - it's such a vibrant colour
This is just the start, miles of wiring needs replacing, lots to do. Bet they have some interesting finds.
I've been up the Elizabeth Tower...those stairs really hit hard..🤣🤣
I much prefer the original colours to the clock face; the blue is both striking and unusual, as every other clock known to man, has numerials in sodding black.
An icon like Elizabeth Tower, should be a standout, and restored to its original state, gives the tower back its unique identity with an equally unique clock face.
when I was at school in the 60s we did a school trip to London and got to go up the tower and stood next to Big Ben(the bell) and were shown where they adjust the timing with a pile of coins.
Incredible experience! Great school trip and it did the trick, you still remember it well and the lessons you learned I'm sure.
It’s the Tudor Rose which was York and Lancaster together
The Royal Albert Hall in London hosts the annual promenade concerts with the last Knight finale. A good reaction video would be is Jerusalem being sung At The Last Night of the Proms
That's incredible! Saw a little snippet of the 2009 one. Added, but not sure when I'll watch/react to the full thing quite yet.
@@californianreacts a reaction to the full night of the Last Night of the Proms would be impractical because of the length CZcams has segments off the last night play roll videos of William Blake's Jerusalem music by Parry it's about 3 minutes
Great Job all round!
Absolutely!
As mentioned by you and somebody else, they were indeed the Tudor rose combining the houses of York and Lancaster. Just for information the rose is the National flower of England. Also you can see the Thistle which is a national emblem of Scotland around the same time. I am not sure if emblems for Wales and NI are on the tower as well
In one of the shots you can see the leek for the Welsh is shown
Thanks, Rich! Appreciate the extra information. I did not know the rose is the national flower of England, nor the Thistle emblem.
I do love the restored face to its original, but I also really love the black accenting the gold on the before restoration clock face.
Here in Birmingham, we have a smaller clock tower called “Big Brum”.
I'd like the restored version with the blue and gold. And me being British I'd be looking forward to capturing photos of it when it's completed by the summer 2022...
It is indeed the Tudor rose.
Thank you, Daniel!
Just a note - in the UK we usually don't put 'the' in front of our landmarks e.g. Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Number 10, Parliament (unlike The White House, The Capitol etc). Also you never put 'the' before HMS since it means His/Her Majesty's Ship so 'the' doesn't make sense grammatically. But definitely agree that this is much needed and I love the dedication to the original.
(Although notably the Houses of Parliament themselves are exceptions since we usually call them 'the commons' and' the lords', both of which are getting big renovations too so they'll need to move location temporarily, possibly to floating buildings on the Thames!)
Ah, whoops! Californians are notorious for putting "the" in front of landmarks and freeways. For freeways, we say "take the 405" or "take the 5 to Sunset" etc, whereas the majority of the US does not do this. It sounds funky to me not putting "the" in front of things, but I'll try in future videos! It's a weird Californian/west coast thing.
@@californianreacts haha that's fine, I hear a lot of New Yorkers do it too, I bet Brits say a lot of things that sound pretty odd in the USA
@TheRenaissanceman65 yeah igy, I think most of the aboriginal languages don't have articles, but also don't really have numbers so they end up saying 1 and 1 and 1 houses instead of 3 - but it's been a while since I read through the language glass haha.
Part of me wonders if when America was expanding they began using definite articles more since there genuinely was only one of each of those things to begin with and now it's just stuck...
@TheRenaissanceman65 Or when in The Simpsons Side Show Bob was in court and explaining why he had written 'die Bart, die' his explanation was he had meant 'the Bart, the' 😂. I think that is why one of my ex's used to call me 'the Stephen'...well I think that is what she meant 🤔
The complete Parliament restoration is going to cost £12Bn ($16.3Bn). Ouch!
Incredible job. I would like to know where they find all these craftsmen and artists that carry out these restoration projects! I'm guessing there aren't many left in the UK now.
I always think of it as the London Eyesore
Personally I like the new restored face, although I do wish they kept the black. I don’t dislike the blue but I’m just more of a black kinda guy. You should research the architect of the tower and parliament - Augustus Pugin - what an extraordinary man. Died young at 40 but his body of work is phenomenal for the length of time he worked
Yes,Pugin was a genius definitely.
Pugin’s philosophy of architecture was truly unique.
Amazing
It’s going to look fantastic.
During a evacuation your not supposed to use the lifts. I got taught in fire training. Just incase you don't want it failing then your trapped inside a box while the fire creeps closer.
Putting aside that it costs a fortune and takes years, we do restoration really well.
I think Elizabeth Tower as with any historical structure should as much as possible be preserved or restored to the original! I myself have been up the tower and seen the clock and bells. To be able to do so you have to be invited by a member of one of the Houses of Parliament eithe the commons or lords! I was lucky as my grandmother was a member of both in her lifetime!
Incredible! Very lucky, what an experience.
@@californianreacts sorry for late reply! I have seen some more of your videos now and obviously you seem interested in British history and couture! If ever you want my opinion I will be happy to help! My grandmother who let me go up the tower was Doris Fisher, Baroness Fisher of Rednal!
It’s wonderful to see the restoration ,but much more should be made of the clock mechanism.
Thanks for that, Mr. Californian!
Looks fantastic, much better. River talks, most great buildings were based by the river as it was safer and easier than the roads.
Agreed!
If things have not changed recently, they will use crushed almond shell to blast the dirt off the stone.
The only people able to tour the tower are British voters.The process involves contacting your local member of parliament and asking them for a tour.
Thank you, John! We have the same situation here for certain monuments and government buildings, such as the White House.
Makes sense!
Original redesign is best in my opinion. Very cool project.
There's around 334, steps
I don't mind the restoration and think it looks very good. It was in some papers the other day that some people aren't happy with all the st George flags around the clock face. I think they've always been there, just so mucky no one could see them properly. That's not to say there isn't symbolism of Scotland elsewhere on the tower as I noticed a Scottish thistle in the images just now.
each of the 4 faces has the symbols of 1 of the parts of the UK
If I'm honest I liked the black motif better. I felt like the dark tone fitted nicely with the gothic architecture of the Palace of Westminster. That said, I understand why they reverted to the original and it does look nice still.
When is it going to be ready? uncovered?
Its great going back to original colours its how it should be. It is our best looking historic building in England 🇬🇧 pride of our Capital 🥰
Absolutely agree!
You think it's better looking than Blickling Hall, Kingston Lacy House, Lyme Park, Montacute House, Chatsworth, Holkham Hall, Blenheim Palace, Ickworth, St Paul's, Lincoln Cathedral, Tattershall Castle, Norwich Cathedral, Tower of London, Oxborough ???? I've been to all of them and think The Houses of Parliament pale in comparison.
Think i prefer the blue but suspect that a few years of weathering and it will likely not be as vivid as now. Maybe why they painted it black?
At the moment I prefer the previous colour but, the blue may in time grow on me
in fact, big ben is the bell not the tower.
Question: have you covered the Statue of liberty, another icon, and how much restoration has occurred, and what its present condition is in? I could, of course, go to wikipedia, but I'd like to hear your personal slant on this. Robert, UK.
Hi Robert! I know the Statue of Liberty has had some major renovations in the past, but I don't know if it has ever been covered with scaffolding and done with such care. The Washington Monument had scaffolding all around the structure within the past couple of years. I'm so far from our "old" structures, not much in the know for these things.
@@californianreacts ...thanks for getting back to me. Robert.
Oh yes and as another commentator has said, there is actually a massive crack in the bell, which gives it it's distinct ominous tone:) Worth a little google
I like the blue, but it's never been blue - design is just on paper. It could be that black made the clock faces more readable or that blue was more expensive 150 years ago. 🤷♂️ All the renovation does look amazing.
It used to be blue, they found the blue paint coat underneath. They painted it black in the past for ease of upkeep when London used to be very polluted
You look at the clock face's and you sre asking what colour it is?
There are zero steps in Big Ben. It's a bell.
I like the new look
I know it’s the world’s most famous clock . But it’s got to start Earning its own living start charging for visits to the top charge 20 quid people will pay specially tourists
People would absolutely pay for tours of the Big Ben. It's been through a lot! Although in a way many people travel to London to specifically see the tower. I know it was a must when I was in London in 2018, although it was all under construction at the time.
2021
If you are interested in WW2 look at the complete history of HMS Warspite a must see .cheers. P.s.love the blue clock face.
It is simply “Big Ben” not “The Big Ben” 👍
Try a react to St Pancreas Station.
So its just a dupicate, may as well rebuild the Pyamids
ELIZABETH TOWER!!!!!
Restored version is better.
A lot of stuff is due to the Tudors, a new family trying to ‘establish’ themselves as legitimate monarchs. The Tudor rose incorporates the white and red roses of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Portcullis symbol you see here - symbol of Parliament - was the family crest of Margaret Beaufort, who was the mum of Henry V who eventually took the throne, as she predicted, and worked so hard for. She was a bit strange.
I'll absolutely have to learn more about the Tudors. They seem so influential, yet I know so little about them.
@@californianreacts they are fascinating. Margaret Beaufort was the mother of Henry VII, not Henry V, however. She was Henry VIII’s grandmother.
You really need to read for facts.
@@seventhsheaven yes 🤣 I realised that when I re-read my post just now…
No I definitely prefer the previous
Ive added a few suggestions on your community channel
Thanks, Steven! I'll check them out shortly. Always like suggestions :)
I like more the previous
Why you saying Big Bin lol
Left one
They've made it look very nice at exactly the moment when the interior of the building is in terrible decay, requiring the building's users to vacate. No MPs have any credibility left. Nobody is even there to hold the govt to account.
Imagine if fred dibnah was alive would have been alot cheaper would have laddering up in 20mins and wouldn't need 1% of scaffolding did you like that
They did a good job, but at a time when they were claiming free school meals were too expensive, spending so much on prettifying the clock over their workplace sends a very bad message.