Sharjah24 – AFP: All four of Big Ben's dials will be on display for the first time in four years as London rings in 2022, UK parliamentary authorities said on Tuesday.
The Great Clock and the Elizabeth Tower have been shrouded in scaffolding since 2017 for extensive renovation work which has also largely silenced the trademark bongs and chimes of the famous bell inside it.
But the restoration is nearly complete, and Big Ben will strike 12 for the last time using a temporary mechanism before the original is back in place early in the new year.
The 11.5-tonne Victorian-era mechanism was removed from the tower overlooking the River Thames at one end of the UK parliament to protect it from the dust and debris created by works on the 96-metre-high tower.
It was transported to a specialist company in northwest England, where all of its more than 1,000 working pieces were cleaned and repaired.
The Great Clock was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and installed by Edward John Dent in 1859, with the aim of creating the most accurate public clock in the world.
Big Ben -- the nickname for the 13.7-tonne Great Bell -- is often used as a catch-all for the Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock.
The temporary mechanism has been used for several landmark events during the renovation works, including Armistice Day, Remembrance Sunday, and as Britain left the European Union on January 1 last year.
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