Big Ben Strikes 12

[freedomfighterguy1]

"For whom the bell tolls it tolls for thee."

[DelicateKiller13]

@TiptonSophie01 V.

[DragonforceOff]

say bye bye to big ben because it is going to be destroyed in november...or any time before the olympic games

[Dendiol]

@DragonforceOff I don't think so.

[kaiyan246]

how did you get up there and how the heck loud was it?

[ZIGDYBOOGDYMAN]

big ben has the bigest bell iv ever saw well almost

[90Blakey]

i dreamed of going to big ben. very nice place loud bells lolz XD

[Loonalily]

Its so awesome how you can see the camera vibrating with the shockwaves!

[ass23ful]

cool westmisister chimes

[Magicking788]

Wow!

[welder541]

It totally amazes me that you can see in the camara the sound shock wave concussion everytime that bell rings. AWESOME!!!!!

[Agui007]

Ear plugs are a certainty.

[Kell1295]

I'm going o play this at midnight new years eve to bring in 2010. thanks UK!

[sonicfreak04]

I wish I can go to london but here I am stuck in disgusting old brooklyn

[jdi0093113]

London is not as good as you think.

[selenaroks]

what do you mean london is not as good as u think why is it not good

[jackmnsadler]

holy cap wasn't it loud in there? YOUR MAD

[victorianlulu]

I love this beautiful old clock! I see it in many old films.

[DarthJedi2005]

Have your ears recovered yet? ;-)

[98705781]

its 12pm!!

[pincloth]

how the fuck did u get up there :S:S:S:S:S:S

[bagpiper2005]

I really wish they'd open up to non-UK residents. It's depressing that they don't.

I'm surprised, however, that people don't lose their hearing.

[Mindraker1]

Terrirsts!

[somekid93229]

WHAT!!! so if your not british you cant go it

[bagpiper2005]

Nope. I tried to fight it to no avail. :-(

[somekid93229]

that is so gay im gonna become a citizen just so i can go up there lol

[joshuawatson123]

are u deaf yet???

[TAKEGON01]

学校のチャイム

[chuchomotas]

buen video gracias por subirlo

[samholdsworth]

didnt know people could be taken up there. hope bags are checked

[diegodaudt]

how did u go up there?

[pmagrin]

Write to your MP.

If you give enough notice you can be up there at midday when the chimes are broadcast live over BBC Radio and World Service

[diegodaudt]

what?

[pmagrin]

You can write to your MP asking them to arrange a visit to see Big Ben

[Andr3wMT]

Can you hear me? :P

[theo0331]

did it hurt your ears

[Soundoflovemymusic]

Nice video!

Thanks for adding!

[1BODGER95]

WHITECHAPEL He he he!

[Renatodonadio]

Funny how this is known as WESTMINSTER chime but it's not played by the Westminster Abbey Tower.

[clock1987]

It is called the Westminster Chime because the building of which the tower is a part is known as the "Palace of Westminster"

[missohio83]

thats pretty cool...i didnt know u could get up there!

[gokart80]

big tom looks big bens small brother in lincoln

[scodee]

i like the noise

[ryanoble]

I've been up there ... its so cool... especially when ben strikes

[UpperClass184]

Me too, it's great isn't it.

[geordieboydave]

wow inside the clock how did you get up there

[NeilMarkus]

Big Ben was named after Sir Benjamin Hall who was the person in charge of getting the bell its current position.

[tmaq97]

neat

[gazsheps]

that must of been loud

[Zartex88]

cool, i gonna go to London in october

[cmn1108]

Apparently he's not called Big Ben for nothing. Even as an American, I'm astounded by the sheer size of that bell.

[360expert]

hes called big ben cause of the biggest bell inside it its called big ben thts were the name comes from

[cmn1108]

I knew that, I'm just saying, Big Ben is big indeed.

[DavidTL]

I bet if you lived in London, you'd get fed up of hearing this all the time. I had to stop in a hotel in Nottingham for a few days, and after about 4 hours, I got fed up of the chimes every fifteen minutes. Mind, it is the deepest bell in England.

[DrJams]

Anyone got a video of it going back one hour?

[danofgy]

beautiful peice of macheinery..

[number1223]

This is a cool video, i've always wanted to visit London.

[callumwade]

Lol, I live in London, and i can hear big ben from my bedroom ;] Not good..

[rainbud]

haha ^^ I just paid a visit as a french tourist so I loved it, but I feel for you if you have to stand that : p

Still, it's an honor you have I guess , enjoy it ; )

[cffl23]

that sweet

[elliottveares]

how loud is it from your bed room -can you sleep

[CactusBuddy]

surely the bell above the camera looks heavier and bigger than big ben bell, weird.

is it louder than loud music in a car?

[elliottveares]

yes-ive been up there

[6920sdeere]

bells are about as loud as anything your likley to hear. Noiser than a jumbo yet from the same distance

[Chaingunkill]

at what thrust rating?

[m173627]

On.

[weyountdb2]

Actually the bell in the Council House in Nottingham is bigger and louder than Big Ben

[ProfMoose]

No it isn't.

[boomchikawowwowo]

HAHAH!! im so behind, i thought the bells still swing left to right! XD

[calarch78]

Smaller bells can be swung, as you may have observed in church towers. However a bell of this size cannot. The force generated by a bell of this size swinging "left to right" would cause the tower to sway considerably and probably result in its collapse. Large bells such as this, or Great George in Liverpool are fixed in place and struck by a hammer. Bells used to play tunes (such as you hear on the quarter hour) are also fixed and not swung. This is a very old practice, you aren't "behind."

[cosmoduffgordon]

can someone provide me a blueprint of the tower and clock? i have a vast vacant lot that i want to build a replica of big ben someday, want to estimate the cost. my grandpa's name is benjamin that it could be built as a loving memory for him. i really love my grandpa and i can't avoid to burst into tears each time i remember him. i will call it also "big ben" . what a coincidence.

[Symphonicprelude]

I didn't think people were allowed to go up there. I hope they wear ear protection if they do. It's awesome.

[elliottveares]

if you contact your local paliment member and go on a tour the yes you can.

[cosmoduffgordon]

was big ben destroyed/damaged during WWII? According to my grandpa, there was a carpet bombing of London in 1940's that burned the city into ashes.

[Jerec]

I'm pretty sure the Tower was mostly undamaged during the Blitz, as the clock ran bang on time during it all.

If you go into the House of Commons you can see bomb damage on the archway which leads to the Commons chamber, which the Members told not to repair to act as a reminder.

[UpperClass184]

I went on a tour up the tower. I thought the bells were not as loud as i thought they would be though. Did you take a break in the prison room?

[OldsVistaCruiser]

It's very fortunate that "Jerry" didn't destroy Big Ben during the Blitz. What a beautiful landmark and a wonderful-sounding bell!

Unfortunately, the famous bell in the city I live near cracked in the 19th century and will never be heard again.

The U.S. National Park Service recently roped off the area around the Liberty Bell and you can no longer walk up and touch it.

Bill in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

[emmettsgirl981]

@OldsVistaCruiser

What bell cracked in the 19th century and was never heard again? And what city do you live in?

[OldsVistaCruiser]

The Liberty Bell here in Philadelphia.

[Bassfanatic94]

@Jerec I agree the Nazi didn't care about the palaces and the administrative buildings they cared more about killing the civilians. That is why they bombed mostly the houses outside the center of the city.

[elliottveares]

only 2 of the glass faces were damaged

[fing3rbang]

@cosmoduffgordon

They cut off all lights and stopped the bells chiming in order to keep it out of sight and sound of the luftwaffe

[jimmyfuriaoz]

@cosmoduffgordon if you think London was burned into ashes you don't know what are you talking about. You better see view of Warsaw after uprising in 1944.

[pennyf9]

@cosmoduffgordon actually, Parliament shut off the clock face lights and silenced the chimes so the nazis wouldnt see it. Big Bens 2 faces were damaged and one side was a little damaged but Big Ben kept ticking.

[richie6669]

actually the bell is called ben not the tower and it was only named ben after a minister because they where gonna name it after the person who built it son his name was richard but im sure u guess big richard dsntreally sound good an i dnt think people would have called it riahrd anyway more like dick or big dick so they stuck with ben there u r a little hustory for u

[CactusBuddy]

ouch...... is that another bell above the camera?

[gscam0001]

yes

[ukburger]

How loud was it?

[Jerec]

Pardon?

[DelicateKiller13]

WOW this oughta been rlly loud!

[camry1971]

The Clock was named after one of the British ministers , his name was Ben, if I am not mistaken !..nice video

[samanli1]

you should be deafened

[birkett1982]

brilliant

[Siren1000T]

HAPPY NEW YEARS LONDON ENGLIND! Class of 2008 for me.

[laursey1969]

wow that's incredible... you lucky thing!

[playboygoldgigger]

it is good when it get to midnight becaues there is loads of fireworks i would like to go to london and see them at the new year

[Siren1000T]

I am going to use this video for new years night.

[tillybeen]

Wow! it must be a real thrill to go up bigben and see the great bell.

[francicoti]

how many bells there is in the tower london

[elliottveares]

If you mean this clock whats real name is the great clock of the palace of westminster,it 5 bells,the bell which strikes the our,and the other 4 bells what chime evrey quatuer.

[PleasantPenguin]

I didnt know we can actually go up there. How much does it cost?

[elliottveares]

it free but you have to contack your local council and is only open for uk residents

[johntgr]

how far could someone hear these bells from? I can recall when I visited London I could heard big ben chimes from green park.

[thompson6920s]

about the ear muffs, you dont want to stand next to a bell that weighs 5cwt (1/4 tonne) when its ringing or chiming, let alone one that weighs 13tonnes!

just some advise!

It will seriously damage your hearing

[Jerec]

If you was under it then I can understand, but if there was really a danger, they would force you to use them.

Most of the sound vibrations ring down through the town, as its actually hollow through the middle, so I'm sure helps.

[thompson6920s]

trust me, im a bell ringer! im with bells an awful lot!

[Jerec]

Ok no probs, its just I was up there, and it wasn't that bad.

[thompson6920s]

hey do you think there is any chance that if i organized an outing to london to ring some of the bells e.g. bow, stmartains and stclements, we could also come to the tower and see big ben?

[kurt84fstom2]

I'd put some cotton in my ears, but for an opportunity to stand right next to Big Ben at 12:00 (!!) well that's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be enjoyed at it's fullest!!

[yanndick]

GREAT !!

[GearRocks]

Cool, Big Ben onthe inside!

[php1561]

Jerec

Brilliant, thanks for that. I'm going up there next month!! Couple of questions, Can you take pics with camera or mobile?

Do i need to wear earplugs?

Cheers, brill vid.

[Jerec]

Hi,

You can take pics at certain areas, but always ask the tour guide first, as for ear plugs, I don't think you do, plus its not often you'll be able to experience the noise that close, so don't spoil it! ;o)

Hope you enjoy it.

[Atsoc58]

Wonderful! How lucky you are. Thanks for posting!

[kurt84fstom2]

Magnificent !!!

[thunderraichu]

Absolutely Wonderful. You are very lucky to be able to go up there. Perk of the job eh?

Recently, (2005) the Clock Tower, as Well as The Houses of Parliament have been featured in Dan Cruickshank's Britain's Best Buildings. You get to see the stairwell up, the clockwork mechanisms, the belfry (With the bells chiming, of course) and the interior of the spire of the tower. Thank god I taped that episode. I'm going to have to arrange a visit one day.

[cybersid67]

Simply Fantastic!

[Crypto184]

You can get tours inside Big Ben by visiting the UK Parliament website. But it must be arranged through your local MP.

[SrWilson]

yer Derby cathedral has a carillon machine along with the worlds oldest ring of 10 bells ah classic times.

[DavidTL]

A clock in central Derby strikes 'Land of Hope and Glory' at 10:00. It's amazing to hear.

[rauschquint]

42 years ago I toured a church belfry while the bells played a couple of hymns. To this day I can still hear those hymns ringing in my head. I can only imagine how Big Ben must have sounded. Thanks for posting this, it answers a curiosity of how that bell gets rung.

[Struwwelpepper]

do you work there Jerec ? Can you get me through to see the bell ?

[Jerec]

I'd love to help you out, but I have to vouch for everyone that enters Parliament, and I'm afraid a random from the Internet could be a potential security risk! :op

[Struwwelpepper]

I understand,obviosly you need to be very careful about those things.Me too, back at the place where I work I have to vouch for every one of my friends and relatives that I let in...for security reasons. I am working for British Airways, security measures are tight, take my word for it, not as tight as in the Houses of Parliament but still very tight

[neothomist1275]

Big Ben, the ben-ben*, the obelisk, the phallus of Osiris.

*Two B, or not Two B (for those who know)

[sfan01]

I like this! It looks just like The Great Mouse Detective right before Professor Ratigan fell to his death.

[masstricht45]

bong bang bong

[SloppyCheeseFinger]

you are very jammy indeed. i really love that building . its beautiful. and you dont hear a bong like that anywhere else.

[day73]

BONG!!! :-)

[sniff001]

How the hell were you allowed to go up there?!

[Jerec]

I work there.

Well, not there in the Bell but for Parliament.

Perks of the job as it were.

[sniff001]

Wow that is quite cool! Is that actually Big Ben you are standing under? Did you have to wear ear muffs? lol

[Jerec]

That big one in the centre is Big Ben. They did offer ear plugs but its that bad where we were, as the sound radiates down and out across rather then at the point where we were standning, but its loud enough! ;o)

[wiley207]

This reminds me of "The Great Mouse Detective" during the Big Ben fight sequence.

[hartnell114]

i love that film!

it sure must have been loud for the poor bastard down there!

[Creole333]

Watching the hammer strike Big Ben was something I've always wanted to see; especially when the hammer stroke 12 times. That was amazing!

[elliottveares]

emagien if big ben fell down and crashd threw the wodden planks

[JDM3550]

Great video. Is it possible to get some video of the mechanism at work and also when it strikes the bells? I'd like to know more on how the mechanism works... it's all very fascinating.

[Jerec]

No, they don't allow any photos or filming of the actual machine, but you can find pictures of it around the web.

Its a massive this, loads of huge cogs, and the funniest this is the old 1 penny coins that are used to balace the pendulum.

[bellminsterboy]

@Jerec How did you film it then?

[JDM3550]

Would it be possible to get footage of the clock's mechanism in action? I have grown quite fond of the clock and how it works... I just never found any footage of it working. Is it also possible to get a shot of it as it's striking the bells too?

[aragog86]

it's brilliant up there!!

[RabuHina]

thats soooo cool

[Jerec]

I don't think so, they've only moved it once and that was when it cracked years ago.

[SrWilson]

I went up a few years ago through the help of a local MP its a true one in a lifetime thing. I turned down ear plugs, :) and im not deaf.

[Subwayking1488]

its interesting that the sound waves are effecting the video that you made

[padfootreturns92]

OUCH! That's loud!

[Jerec]

All perks of the job ;o)

[Skezbow]

How did you get let up there?

[Jerec]

Nah man, ear plugs supplied.

[Meluvkatz]

That had to be LOUD. Lose your hearing?