![]() So when you get that scary letter warning you to write your will beforehand, just ignore it – if you’ve ever managed to climb to the top of The Monument or St. Paul’s Cathedral then you will find this easy-peasy. The first part of the talk was all about the history of the bell: who designed it, who built it, and who installed it. Our guide was pretty good and he went into plenty of detail, but there wasn’t a lot to actually see in this first room, just a big poster on the wall and some seats were we could rest and catch our breath. After that he took us up another flight of stairs to the clock mechanism. This room looked more like a mini-factory with pulleys, pendulums, cogs and whirring wheels all over the place. Just before it struck half-past nine he warned us of a coming cacophony of noise and he wasn’t joking. When the whole thing whirred into action it scared the living daylights out of us. Imagine the sound of a factory gone wrong: long levers banging up and down, cogs clanking round and round, and heavy hammers bashing the bells tens of meters above your head. The clock tower belfry and Big Ben bellĪfter that bit of excitement we headed up to the belfry to see Big Ben himself. Incredibly, the guide even let us stand inside the bell room whilst it chimed ten. This was such a deep and visceral thrill that words can never do it justice. One minute the big bell was sleeping peacefully and then it was as if he’d suddenly become rage and thunder. There really was no escape from his anger. The guide had given us some earplugs beforehand which we were obliged to wedge into our lugs, but it was still astonishingly loud – loud enough to make my bones vibrate. I think a few of my teeth crumbled into dust as well. And it wasn’t just Big Ben chiming because there were several bells all around us (one for each note of the tune), all pounding out the sound into our vibrating skulls. Hap Do you have to pay to get into Big BenĬraig You don't have to pay, but you do need to write a letter to your local MP to get an invite ticket, which will probably take a couple of months at least. Hap What should you write in your letter?Ĭraig Just tell them you'd like an invite to the 'Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower Tour'. Give them a range of dates that you can do, at least three or four months in the future. Don't just give them one date, because it books up ages in advance. ![]() Give them your full name, age and address (because they have to check you're a constituent). My MP then sent me over some security questions which I had to email back. It was only after I did that that I received the ticket. Hap Thank you ever so much for your reply, it's very helpful. ![]()
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