A storied sight in London

“Big Ben” was originally a nickname used for the gargantuan bell inside the London clock tower. These days, the moniker refers to the bell, the clock face and the 315ft tower too – though the beloved icon was officially renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012, as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. Built from the inside out, the stone and granite tower got its finishing touch with the clock tower’s installation in 1859. The cast-iron minute hands proved too heavy, so they were replaced with today’s lighted copper hands.