One of London’s biggest attractions will fall silent next week for four years for “major conservation works” that will be carried out on the tower, which houses the bell, reports CNN.
The repairs are estimated to cost about $42 million.
The bell has kept time in the British capital for 157 years, but at noon on Monday, August 21, Big Ben, the bell inside the tower, will sound for the last time until 2021. The tower, originally St. Stephen’s Tower, renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012, and the clock is simply known as the Great Clock.
“Big Ben falling silent is a significant milestone in this crucial conservation project. This essential program of works will safeguard the clock on a long term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home,” Steve Jaggs, Keeper of the Great Clock, said in a statement, according to CNN.
The last time the bells were silent was during maintenance in 2007, and before that, from 1983-1985.
However, the bells will ring for “important national events” like New Year’s Eve.
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