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After Big Ben Rings Out, the Sound of Silence in London After Big Ben Rings Out, the Sound of Silence in London
(about 5 hours later)
LONDON — An essential part of the London landscape is disappearing for up to four years. Not a sight, but a sound: the hourly bong-bong-bong-bong of Big Ben. LONDON — Ask not for whom the bell tolls — at least not for the next four years at Parliament.
The distinctive and reassuring chimes, which have marked the passage of time since the Victorian era, have fallen silent after ringing out at noon on Monday for the final time before a $37 million restoration project at the tower in which the bell is housed. Big Ben’s distinctive and reassuring chimes, which have marked the passage of time since the Victorian era, fell silent after ringing out at noon on Monday as a $37 million restoration project got underway for the tower that houses the bell.
The bongs have been an almost constant presence, heard not just in London but around the world: Two BBC News bulletins each day, at 6 p.m. and midnight, begin with the famous sound, which the broadcaster first used in 1924. The building, in millions of replicas, and the chimes, played by clocks around the world, are among the most recognizable symbols of modern Britain and have become a tourist attraction in their own right. Crowds gathered around Parliament to hear the final set of bongs that have been an almost constant presence, heard not just in London but around the world: Two BBC News bulletins each day, at 6 p.m. and midnight, begin with the famous sound, which the broadcaster first used in 1924.
Now the scaffolding that has been climbing up the tower as part of an ambitious renovation project will cover all but one of its clock faces. During World War II, when the bells carried on tolling after a brief interlude, the sound of Big Ben gave troops a lift in morale and provided hope to those in occupied countries like France.
The list of problems is long, and some fixes are imperative to keep the clock from falling: Paint is flaking, the masonry cracking, the roof leaking and the metalwork rusting, to say nothing of fire-prevention issues, health and safety measures and the desire to add an elevator. “It was our lifeblood, and it was our comfort, and it kept us sane,” Ginette Spanier, a former director of the Paris fashion house Pierre Balmain, once told the BBC.
But the idea that one of Britain’s national symbols would be draped in white and muted for four years while the country negotiated its divorce from the European Union was almost too much to bear for some of the senior politicians driving what is commonly known as “Brexit,” and for several of the country’s popular tabloids, which are rarely afraid to wave the flag. The length of disruption to the chimings of the country’s most famous clock has brought a variety of complaints, including one from Prime Minister Theresa May, who has said that it “cannot be right” for the stoppage to last four years.
Prime Minister Theresa May asked for a review of the plans and David Davis, Britain’s lead negotiator in the withdrawal talks, said that the interruption was “mad” and those responsible should “just get on with it,” echoing the prime minister’s first major speech on “Brexit.” The work comes at a time of national upheaval, with Britain preparing its withdrawal from the European Union, known as “Brexit.” Many supporters of that move attach huge symbolic importance to institutions like Parliament, with some calling for the restoration of such emblems of past imperial greatness as the royal yacht.
For all of the hand-wringing, this is not the first time Big Ben has been silenced, which perhaps explained the less sentimental approach taken by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party. “It’s not a national disaster or catastrophe,” he said. The idea that parts of Big Ben would be draped in white cladding and muted while the country completes its divorce from the European Union has been too much for some of the politicians driving Brexit. Several of its supporters, including the Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, have called for the bells to ring at midnight on March 29, 2019, when the country is scheduled to leave the European Union.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with the main bell. (It has several cracks, but those are what give it its distinctive sound, and officials have issued assurances that they will be left alone.) Perhaps worried about accusations of nostalgia, hard-line supporters of Brexit seemed to stay away from Parliament on Monday. A handful of lawmakers spotted in the crowd outside Parliament said they were there on other business.
It’s the tower, officially known as the Elizabeth Tower and commonly referred to as Big Ben, the clock mechanism and faces that are showing signs of aging, like the rest of the crumbling Palace of Westminster. But Stephen Pound, a lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, not only showed up but posed for pictures — perhaps not entirely seriously — with a handkerchief to dab his watering eyes.
But at 118 decibels, Big Ben’s bongs are so loud (over the human pain threshold and louder than a jet taking off) that they might startle people working at heights or damage their hearing permanently. He insisted, however, that this was a genuine time of national introspection. “It’s a desperately sad moment — you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” Mr. Pound said. “And I think in some ways it is the passing of something that means a great deal to a great many people.”
Parliamentary officials said that they would reconsider the duration of the silence when they return from summer recess, but that the safety of workers would be protected. Big Ben would still chime each November, they said, to remember those who served in World War I, and would also continue to ring in the new year. During the restoration work, Big Ben’s Great Clock itself will be dismantled piece by piece with each cog examined and restored — a process that, alone, is expected to take about two years. During that time, a temporary solution will be found to allow Big Ben to ring in the new year and to chime each November to remember Britain’s war dead.
During World War II, when the bells carried on tolling after a brief interlude, the sound of Big Ben gave troops a boost in morale, and provided hope to those in occupied countries like France. “It was our lifeblood, and it was our comfort, and it kept us sane,” Ginette Spanier, a former director of the Paris fashion house Pierre Balmain, once told the BBC. The tower needs further work, and the parliamentary authorities say that it would be impractical to have the bells toll daily or even weekly, as stopping and starting the mechanism is a complex process that takes about half a day to complete.
Worker safety also enters into the considerations. At 118 decibels, Big Ben is so loud (over the human pain threshold and louder than a jet taking off) that it might at the least startle people working at heights and could possibly damage their hearing permanently.
Though they have concluded it would be impractical to start and stop the bells each day, the parliamentary authorities “will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent,” they said in a statement last week after the complaints from lawmakers.
For all of the hand-wringing, this is not the first time Big Ben has been silenced, which perhaps explained the less sentimental approach taken by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labor Party. “It’s not a national disaster or catastrophe,” he said.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with the main bell. (It has several cracks, but those are what give it its distinctive sound, and officials have issued assurances that it will be left alone.)
It is the tower, officially known as the Elizabeth Tower and commonly referred to as Big Ben, and the clock mechanism and faces that are showing signs of aging, like the rest of the crumbling Palace of Westminster. Paint is flaking, the masonry is cracking, the roof is leaking and the metalwork is rusting. All need to be addressed to keep the tower from crumbling.
Those who gathered outside Parliament for the final bell — admittedly, a self-selecting audience — said the bongs would be sorely missed. David Dummigan, from Cumbria, in the north of England, said he had experienced “a lump” in his throat when he heard the last chime for four years.
“It’s our heritage,” he said. “People come from all over the world to look at it and listen to it. It’s part of British history”
“It’s a shame it is going to be silenced for four years,” added Sue-Ann Samuel, who lives in London. “It is very dear to a lot of our hearts.”