1986: Big Ben loses one of its bongs
There was an error
This content is not available in your location.
Engineers rush to fix Big Ben's chimes when one of the bells in the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster stops working due to the severely cold weather. Top facts about the famous bell are given alongside terrible puns about clocks, bells and time-keeping.
Cold weather has affected the clock mechanism of Big Ben before. In 1962, a heavy fall of snow that settled on the hands of the clock made the chimes at midnight 10 minutes late.