Big Ben The large clock on the tower of the Palace of Westminster in London is often called big Ben. But big Ben is really the bell watches. It is the largest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13.5 tons. The clock tower is located at 318 feet in height. You have to go up 374 steps to reach the top. So watch looks small from the pavement under the tower. But his face is 23 feet wide. It would only just fit into some classes. The minute hand is 14 feet. Its weight is equal to that of two bags of coal. The hour-hand is 9 feet in length. Watch the bell is called big Ben after sir Benjamin Hall. He had the job to make sure that the bell was put up. Sir Benjamin was a big man. He once said in Parliament, "we have to ring the bell of St. Stephen?" St. Stephen is the name of the tower. But someone said jokingly, "why not call it big Ben?" Now the bell is known throughout the world under this name.
