http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014-08/19/content_18446120.htm Big job cleaning Big Ben (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-08-19 10:59 CommentsPrintMail LargeMediumSmall Big job cleaning Big Ben Workers hang outside the clock face as they clean the face of the clocktower popularly known as Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, as they undertake essential maintenance and cleaning of the four faces of the clock. [Photo/IC] Workers hang outside the clock face as they clean the face of the clocktower popularly known as Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, as they undertake essential maintenance and cleaning of the four faces of the clock. [Photo/IC] Workers hang outside the clock face as they clean the face of the clocktower popularly known as Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, as they undertake essential maintenance and cleaning of the four faces of the clock. [Photo/IC] Big job cleaning Big Ben Workers hang outside the clock face as they clean the face of the clocktower popularly known as Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, as they undertake essential maintenance and cleaning of the four faces of the clock. [Photo/IC] ============= http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28838218 (has a video) 18 August 2014 Last updated at 19:32 BST The clock face of the Elizabeth Tower, which houses the famous Big Ben bell, is being cleaned. The bell will continue to chime, but the hands are frozen at 12 o'clock, while four cleaners abseil down the front of the clock face. The tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower after the Queen to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. Big Ben is actually only the bell but many know the landmark by this name. Arif Ansari reports from Westminster. 312 individual pieces of glass on each clock Takes one face/day - once in every 3-4 year Now named the "Elizabeth Tower", Formerly "St. Stephen's Tower", Big Ben is the clock inside. Coronation of the tower was in 1953 - Sir Winston Churchill was PM The hands are locked at 12, but the clock and bell keep working ============== http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11041261/Big-Bens-clock-gets-big-bath-from-abseiling-cleaners.html Big Ben's clock gets big bath from abseiling cleaners Cleaners abseil down the face of the Great Clock of Westminster, working 60 metres up in the air to clean its wafer-thin glass panels 748 56 0 25 829 Email A specialist technical abseil team clean and inspect one of the four faces of the Great Clock, otherwise known as Big Ben, at the Houses of Parliament, in central London: Big Ben's clock gets big bath from abseiling cleaners Big Ben, being cleaned Photo: PA By Laurence Dodds 2:15PM BST 18 Aug 2014 Dangling sixty metres above the ground from one of Britain's most famous landmarks, it is far from being an ordinary day in the office for these window cleaners. The four workers, wearing helmets and climbing gear, are tasked with buffing and shining the 312 pieces of glass that make up the iconic clock face on the Westminster tower that houses Big Ben. The Great Clock, which sits atop Parliament’s newly-named Elizabeth Tower, began ticking in 1859 and was last cleaned in 2010. One face of the clock will be cleaned every day from Monday, with Tuesday’s crew working in the rays of the rising sun, and the north and west dials to be tackled on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Related Articles Big Ben gets a polish from abseiling cleaners 18 Aug 2014 Parliament clock tower to become Elizabeth Tower 26 Jun 2012 Long holidays 'make MPs look lazy' 22 Apr 2013 Victorian inventor's wonderland returns to hydro power for the first time since 1945 31 Jul 2014 Iconic landmarks turn pink 24 Oct 2013 Paul Robeson, chairman of the British Watch and Clock Makers’ Guild, which maintains around 2,000 clocks across Parliament, told the BBC’s Today programme the cleaners were “very brave or mad, one or the other.” He said: “The glass panels over the clock face are terribly thin and fragile, because originally the dials were lit by gas, which is very dim. Birds can fly into them and break them. This is why our window cleaners have to be extremely careful. “It’s no longer the biggest clock, it’s no longer the biggest bell, it’s no longer the tallest clock, or any of those things. But it is the most famous the world over.” The stopping of each side's clock for cleaning will also give technicians a chance to carry out essential maintenance on the 155-year-old mechanism. Both hands were designed to be made of cast iron, but that proved too heavy, so gunmetal was used instead. But the minute hand was still too weighty and would struggle up to the point of midnight before dropping down four minutes in one go, so had to be replaced with a hollow copper equivalent. ================== http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2727968/Politics-dirty-business-Specialist-cleaners-abseil-Parliament-begin-five-day-deep-clean-Big-Ben.html Timelapse video Politics is a dirty business! Specialist cleaners abseil off Parliament to begin five-day deep clean of Big Ben Experts abseiled by rope to clean and inspect the faces of the Great Clock Having to wear defenders to protect their hearing from the famous chimes Clock on 95.7 metre high Elizabeth Tower.was last cleaned in 2010 By Tom Mctague, Mail online Deputy Political Editor Published: 09:33 EST, 18 August 2014 | Updated: 11:24 EST, 18 August 2014 35 View comments They say politics is a dirty business. But a group of specialist cleaners found out just how filthy today – as they started a five-day deep clean of Big Ben. The experts abseiled by rope to clean and inspect the faces of the Great Clock at the Palace of Westminster wearing ear defenders to protect their hearing from the chimes of Big Ben. A working week has been set aside for the job, one day for each of the four clock faces, with a contingency day in case the weather makes it too risky to work on the 95.7 metre high Elizabeth Tower. Scroll down for video A specialist technical abseil team clean and inspect one of the four faces of the Great Clock, otherwise known as Big Ben +5 A specialist technical abseil team clean and inspect one of the four faces of the Great Clock, otherwise known as Big Ben The clock was last cleaned in 2010 and as well as removing any dirt that has built up since then, the technicians will carry out a photographic survey to check the dials for damage. Each clock face is made up of 312 pieces of pot opal glass, held together by a cast iron framework. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2727968/Politics-dirty-business-Specialist-cleaners-abseil-Parliament-begin-five-day-deep-clean-Big-Ben.html#ixzz3a8GuyYUK Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook =============== https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZUvZST7rO0 -------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben Pictures, history,