Big Ben is the nickname given to the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, UK. In 2017, the clock tower began a major renovation project that was expected to last several years.
As part of this renovation project, the clock tower’s bell, Big Ben, was temporarily silenced in August 2017 to protect the hearing of the workers involved in the restoration work. The bell was then reactivated briefly on special occasions, such as New Year’s Eve.
It was initially expected that Big Ben would resume its regular chiming schedule in 2021. However, in early 2020, it was announced that the renovation project would take longer than anticipated, and Big Ben would not be able to chime regularly until 2022 at the earliest.
In March 2021, it was announced that due to further delays in the renovation project, Big Ben would remain silent for the entirety of 2021 and 2022, and possibly even into 2023. This means that for the first time in over a century, Big Ben will not ring in the new year or mark other significant occasions for a prolonged period.
The exact date of Big Ben’s return to regular chimes is currently unknown, but it is expected to be sometime in 2023.
