BY: BEATRIZ ARÓSTEGUI BY: BEATRIZ ARÓSTEGUI 2ºC- ESO2ºC- ESO

LONDON´S LEANING LONDON´S LEANING TOWERTOWER

The Big Ben is the name popularly known to the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the British Parliament.Actually, the name Big Ben refers to the bell of the clock, the bell weighs is about 13.8 tons, which is responsible for giving the hours.

THE BELLTHE BELL THE CLOCKTHE CLOCK

HISTORY BEFOREHISTORY BEFORE

The Big Ben, is located at the top of the 320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rings out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time on this day in 1859.

On the night of the 16th of October, 1834 the old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire. It is said that Charles Barry, an architect, was returning to London from Brighton, where he had designed a church, saw the glow of the fire in the distance and discovered that the Houses of Parliament were on fire. Following the destruction of the buildings, a competition was launched for design suitable for the new Palace. Charles Barry's design won.

HISTORY AFTERHISTORY AFTER The clock tower was designed as part of the new Palace of Westminster

which was built after the old one was burnt down in 1834. The tower was completed in 1858.The clock was actually finished before the tower. Designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and built by Edward John Dent it was completed in 1854.

Even after an incendiary bomb destroyed the chamber of the House of Commons during the Second World War, St. Stephen's Tower survived, and Big Ben continued to function

The sounds of Big Ben have traditionally been the focus of the entry of the New Year. In December 1999 they were of particular significance, marking the beginning of the new Millennium.

WHY IT´S A LEANING WHY IT´S A LEANING TOWER?TOWER?

The 96-metre tall clock tower, which houses the bell originally nicknamed Big Ben, leans about 46 cm to the left of its peak.

Elizabeth Tower tilts as a result of the excavation of tunnels near Westminster. The tower has tilted an additional 0.9 mm each year since 2003, and the tilt can now be seen by the naked eye.

Fears over the long-term stability of Big Ben have been raised because it is beginning to tilt to one side.

LEANING TOWERLEANING TOWER

Everyone knows this leaning tower but how about this one?

HISTORYHISTORY The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of

the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistery. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight..

ARCHITECTARCHITECT There has been controversy about the real identity of the architect of the

Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano.

However, recent studies seem to indicate Diotisalvi as the original architect due to the time of construction and affinity with other Diotisalvi works, notably the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both in Pisa.

CHARACTERISTICSCHARACTERISTICS The height of the tower is 55.86 m from the ground on the low side and

56.70 m on the high side. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tones). The tower

has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.