Big Ben London, England
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- 1843
- Construction on the Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament (better known as Big Ben) begins in London.
- 1846
- A competition is held to choose a designer for the clock, with strict requirements for accuracy. The Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy, is the referee of the competition.
- 1852
- In the same year the Palace of Westminster is opened by Queen Victoria, John Dent is appointed to build the clock to the designs of Edmund Beckett Denison.
- 1856
- The first bell for the Clock Tower, named "Royal Victoria," is cast at Warners of Norton near Stockton-on-Tees.
- 1857
- The first "Big Ben" bell cracks during testing and is condemned. Warners, the bell's manufacturer, and Edmund Beckett Denison, the designer of the Great Clock, clash over who is responsible.
- 1858
- The current "Big Ben" bell is cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in east London and transported to New Palace Yard on a carriage drawn by 16 white horses.