Big Ben

The Houses of Parliament are a very large and beautiful building. It stands near the River Thames in London. There are two tall towers at the corners of the building. One of them is the Clock Tower.

The English people built the tower and the clock in 1858. The clock has four faces and a very big bell. The bell is very heavy. It weighs 13 tons. The man who looked after the building was Sir Benjamin Hall. He was very tall, and the workers and his friends called him Big Ben. So they gave the bell the same name — Big Ben. Today, many people call the clock and the tower Big Ben, too.

People in London who live near the Houses of Parliament can hear the sound of the bell every hour. Other people can hear it on the radio. On New Year's Eve, many people come to the Clock Tower to see the New Year come.