Big Ben will fall silent next week for four years as “major repair works” are carried out on the tower which houses the bell.
The sounds from the bell, one of London’s most famous attractions, have kept time in the British capital for 157 years. At noon on Monday, August 21, Big Ben will sound for the last time until 2021. The repairs are said to cost around £29 million, or more than $42 million. Big Ben falling silent is a milestone(里程碑) in this important conservation project. This key programme of works will safeguard the clock on a long term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home.
Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the tower (St. Stephen's Tower, renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012), and not the building or the clock (simply known as the Great Clock) itself. The last sounds were silent in 2007 during a repair work, and before that from 1983 to 1985 during a period of refurbishment(翻新).
Londoners needn't worry though; Big Ben will continue to sound for “important national events” such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
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