The Buildings of Westminster Palace
Parliament's Clock Tower
Edward the Confessor (1003-1066) moved his court to the Palace of Westminster during the middle of the 11th century, but the original clock tower to stand on this site wasn't constructed until the reign of Edward 1 (1239 - 1307). The tower took almost 2 years to build and stood on the north side of the New Palace yard and like the Clock Tower, contained a clock and a bell. The original bell struck on the hour and was known as 'Great Edward' later renamed 'Great Tom.'
The original clock tower was replaced in 1367 and housed the first public chiming clock in England. The bell, ordered by Edward III weighed 4 tons and was manufactured by John Balleytene. By 1707 the tower had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was demolished and replaced by a sun dial.
The Devastation of the Palace of Westminster
A fire struck the Palace of Westminster on the night of 16 October 1834, leaving only the Jewell Tower, The Crypt, the Cloisters of St. Stephen's and Westminster Hall standing.
Following a competition to design the new palace a commission was set up to choose the best design. Of the 400 hundred designs entered by over 90 architects the winning design was put forward by Charles Barry and his assistant, Augustus Welby Pugin. The design, in neo - gothic style incorporated the existing buildings but originally did not include a clock tower. This was added at the request of the commission in 1836 and is primarily the design of Barry's assistant, Pugin.
The design of the clock tower was Pugin's last design, although it does resemble some of his earlier work, including the design of Scarisbrick Hall. Augustus Pugin wrote on the completion of his design, 'I never worked so hard in my life for Mr. Barry for tomorrow I render my designs for finishing his bell tower and it is beautiful.'
The Building of The Clock Tower
Construction of the Clock Tower was started 7 years later in 1843. The tower stands approximately 98 metres (320 feet) in height.
The first 61 metres of the tower is constructed with brickwork surrounded by sand coloured Anston limestone cladding. The remaining height of the tower is taken up by a framed spire of cast iron. The tower stands on a 15 metre square raft of concrete which is 3 metres thick set to a depth of 4 metres below ground level. The familiar glass faces of the clock stand 55 metres from the ground. There are 334 steps to the belfry and an additional 393 steps to the Ayton lantern which is lit when the Commons is sitting at night.
Unfortunately The Clock Tower is no longer the largest 4- faced clock in the world, this title now belongs to the Allen - Bradley Clock Tower in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, The Clock Tower is still the world's largest 4- faced chiming clock. However, due to drilling and tunnelling, notably for the Jubilee Tube line extension, the clock tower leans slightly to the North West which only adds to its charm and has not undermined the foundations of this instantly recognisable building.
Sources:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Guy Fox History Project
- Parliament.uk.org
Houses of Parliament
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