What was Big Ben originally going to be called; and who gave it its current name?

gtho4

The Great Clock of Westminster who actually named it is a little obscure The bells of the Great Clock of Westmister rang across London for the first time on 31st May 1859, and Parliament had a special sitting to decide on a suitable name for the great hour bell. During the course of the debate, and amid the many suggestions that were made, Chief Lord of the Woods and Forests, Sir Benjamin Hall, a large and ponderous man known affectionately in the House as "Big Ben", rose and gave an impressively long speech on the subject. When, at the end of this oratorical marathon, Sir Benjamin sank back into his seat, a wag in the chamber shouted out: "Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?" The house erupted in laughter; Big Ben had been named. This, at least, is the most commonly accepted story. However, according to the booklet written for the old Ministry of Works by Alan Phillips: "Like other nice stories, this has no documentary support; Hansard failed to record the interjection. The Times had been alluding to 'Big Ben of Westminster' since 1856. Probably, the derivation must be sought more remotely. The current champion of the prize ring was Benjamin Caunt, who had fought terrific battles with Bendigo, and who in 1857 lasted sixty rounds of a drawn contest in his final appearance at the age of 42. As Caunt at one period scaled 17 stone (238 lbs, or 108 kilogrammes), his nickname was Big Ben, and that was readily bestowed by the populace on any object the heaviest of its class. So the anonymous MP may have snatched at what was already a catchphrase." http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/bigben.htm May 13 10, 2:14 AM

gtho4

The official version: Q. Why is the Clock Tower's bell called Big Ben? A. The most likley explanation is it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works, whose name is inscribed on the bell. Another theory is it was named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer. http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/enquiries/ May 13 10, 2:17 AM

star_gazer

Some audio clips: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/03/15/bigben_audio_feature.shtml The most famous clock-tower in the world, outside the Palace of Westminster in London, England, has been named ‘Big Ben’ for over 150 years, ever since the pendulum first started swinging in the late 1850s. But this isn’t actually the clock-tower’s name! It never was! It wasn’t then, it wasn’t fifty years ago, and it still isn’t now. The correct title is actually St. Stephen’s Tower, although it’s also known simply as the ‘Clock Tower’. - From 1916-1918, Big Ben joined the London Blackout during WWI. Its chimes were silenced and the lights which lit up the clock’s four, massive dials, were all turned off, to prevent attacking German zepplins from using the clock-tower’s lights as a reference-point to bomb important buildings in London’s business-district. - Just like in WWI, during the Second World War, the lights on the clock-tower’s dials were all switched off to prevent the German luftwaffe bombers from using them as a light-reference on their night bombing-runs. The bells, however, continued to chime the quarters and hours throughout the duration of the War. http://scheong.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/putting-a-penny-on-the-history-of-st-stephens-tower/ May 13 10, 2:53 AM