I’m a 165 year old iconic London site, and I’ve spent millions having work done
IF you’ve been to London, you’ll have seen this famous part of the city’s skyline.
Not only that, you’ll have heard it as well, on the hour and every 15 minutes!
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That’s right, it’s Big Ben’s bonkers 165th birthday bash! Fabulous Bingo can’t believe how good the clock tower looks for 165!
So, what’s its secret? How does it look so good?
Let’s find out how to stay looking young at 165…
A golden oldie
Name: Big Ben / the Elizabeth Tower
The actual clock tower is called the Elizabeth Tower (it was renamed in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee).
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It’s the bell inside the tower that’s been dubbed Big Ben.
Age: Completed in 1856, it started telling the time on 31st May 1859.
However, it wasn’t until 11th July 1859 that Big Ben began to bong.
Siblings: Big Ben is one of five bells in the Elizabeth Tower. On the hour, their notes all combine to form their famous tune (the Westminster Quarters).
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Height: The Elizabeth Tower is 96 metres tall – that’s the equivalent of 21 London buses!
It’s got 334 steps up to the belfry, where Big Ben hangs out.
Weight: Big Ben is a big boy! The bell weighs 13.7 tonnes.
What work was done?
This bell tower has had more work done than a Hollywood celebrity!
Between 2017 and 2022, the Elizabeth Tower underwent reconstruction work worth £79.7 million.
The tower is now glistening gold and the dials are Prussian blue. The lights have also been swapped from gas powered to energy efficient LEDs.
The works are said to have secured the Elizabeth Tower for another 160 years.
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The tower even has its first lift access and toilet now!
What maintenance does the tower need?
Like a grandfather clock, this old timer timekeeper needs to be wound.
The clock is wound three times a week, and each winding takes approximately 1.5 hours.
The clock is accurate to within two seconds per week. The pendulum needs to be adjusted so as to keep it accurate.
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This is done by adding pennies made before the decimalisation of the UK’s currency in 1971.
Each penny adds 0.4 seconds per day to the time displayed.
There’s a legend that if Big Ben ever strikes 13 times, the lion statues in Trafalgar Square will come to life!
London’s calling
Fabulous Bingo can’t talk about an iconic London site without mentioning our iconic London Bingo Room!
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This room hosts 90-ball bingo and has a progressive jackpot that starts at £100.
The jackpot is triggered if the full house is called within 38 balls.
There are great sessions such as “1p Loose Change!” and “£100 Bingo Link!”.
There's also the Triple Whammy feature. This is a progressive jackpot feature that is available to win after each line prize.
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Simply win the 1L, 2L or full house within given ball counts to trigger the respective jackpot!
If you see the “FT” symbol on a game that means that it will accept any free tickets that you have been awarded, up to the maximum ticket allocation for that game.
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