It is one of the most famous bells in the world: the ringing of Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster, in London. This New Year's Eve, the British BBC celebrates a special anniversary: 100 years ago, it broadcast live for the first time the chimes of Big Ben on New Year's Eve, thus starting a tradition.
On December 31, 1923, BBC engineer AG Dryland first climbed to the roof of a building opposite the British Parliament to record the midnight chiming of Big Ben with a microphone. Since then, the BBC has broadcast the ringing of the bells live every year at New Year's Eve.
This year, clock mechanic Andrew Strangeway is responsible for ensuring Big Ben rings in the New Year perfectly. Shortly before, the 37-year-old checked out the five bells of the Palace of Westminster's 96-metre-high Elizabeth Tower. “I think the likelihood of something going terribly wrong is slim,” Strangeway told AFP. He hopes to stand alongside the 14-ton Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower's other bells “when the whole world looks at this clock at the start of the new year.”
The bell tower was built in the 1840s. It used to be called simply the “Clock Tower”, but in 2012 it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the then British Queen Elizabeth II. Since a multi-year renewal beginning in 2017, GPS has ensured that the watch is accurate to the second. Watchmakers had already verified this using their cell phones.
Big Ben rings every day, but the chime also marks important events in the UK, such as the country's exit from the EU in 2021 or Elizabeth II's state funeral in 2022. For Strangeway, who maintains the world-famous clock along with two colleagues, it is a “fantastic job”. When he walks around London, he can't help but glance at the clock in Elizabeth Tower and think with satisfaction, “Yes, it's still working.”