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This photograph shows Big Ben circa 1928 – the transmission of the peal celebrated its premiere at the turn of the year 1923/1924

Photo: Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group / Getty Images

The chimes of Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London are probably one of the most famous bells in the world. On the last day of this year, the British BBC is celebrating a special anniversary: one hundred years ago, it broadcast the Big Ben bells live for the first time at the turn of the year, thus establishing a tradition.

On 31 December 1923, BBC engineer AG Dryland had first climbed onto the roof of a building opposite the British Parliament to record the midnight chime of Big Ben with a microphone. Since then, the BBC has broadcast the bells live every year at the turn of the year.

Bells are checked beforehand

This year, watch mechanic Andrew Strangeway is responsible for ensuring that Big Ben rings in the New Year flawlessly. Shortly before, the 37-year-old checks the five bells in the 96-metre-high Elizabeth Tower of Westminster Palace.

"I think the probability of something going seriously wrong is low," Strangeway told AFP. He is looking forward to standing right next to the 14-ton Big Ben and the other bells of the Elizabeth Tower "when the whole world looks at this clock at the beginning of the new year."

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Photograph from circa 1922

Photo: Spencer Arnold Collection/Getty Images

The bell tower was built in the 1840s. In the past, it was simply called the "Clock Tower", but in 2012 it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the then British Queen Elizabeth II. Since a multi-year renovation that began in 2017, GPS has been used to ensure that the watch is correct to the second. Previously, the watchmakers had checked this with the help of their mobile phones.

Chimes for important events

Big Ben rings daily, but the chime of the bell also marks important events in the United Kingdom, such as the country's exit from the EU in 2021 or the state funeral for Elizabeth II in 2022. For Strangeway, who maintains the world-famous watch together with two colleagues, it is a "fantastic job". When he walks through London, he can't help but look up at the clock in the Tower of Elizabeth and think with satisfaction, "Yes, it's still going."

kah/AFP