founded on a 15-metre (49 ft) square raft of 3-metre (9.8 ft)
thick concrete, at a depth of 4 meters (13 ft) below ground
level. On its completion, the interior volume of the tower was
4,650 cubic meters (164,200 cubic feet).
When it was time to raise the Great Bell, it was discovered
that its dimensions meant it was too large to fi t up the Clock
Tower’s shaft vertically, so Big Ben was turned on its side
and winched that way. It took 30 hours to lift the bell to the
belfry in October 1858.
Over 150 years later the tower stands as a testament to solid
architectural design and ingenious engineering. Changes
in ground conditions, especially tunneling for the London
Underground, means that today the tower leans slightly to
the north-west by approximately 22 cm (8.66 inches) at the
clock dials.
© parliament.uk
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