Great Clock of Westminster

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The Great Clock of Westminster is the iconic 19th-century clock mechanism that powers the famous Big Ben tower clock at the Palace of Westminster in London.

Aliases (2)

Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf clock mechanism
turret clock
architecturalStyle Victorian
chimes Westminster Quarters
completedBy Frederick Dent
constructedBy Edward John Dent
constructionStart 1840s
country United Kingdom
designedBy Edmund Beckett Denison
Sir George Airy
designedForAccuracy yes
dialDiameter about 7 meters
escapementType double three-legged gravity escapement
function hour striking
quarter striking
timekeeping
hasComponent double three-legged gravity escapement
fly governors
gear trains
going train
gravity escapement
hour striking train
pendulum
quarter striking train
weights
winding mechanism
heritageDesignation part of UNESCO World Heritage Site Palace of Westminster
part of a Grade I listed building
inception 1859
locatedIn Elizabeth Tower
London
Palace of Westminster
notableFor innovative gravity escapement design
precision for a large public clock
numberOfClockFacesDriven 4
partOf Elizabeth Tower clock
pendulumLength about 4 meters
pendulumPeriod 2 seconds
powers Big Ben clock faces
Great Bell timekeeping
powerSource descending weights
regulationMethod pennies on pendulum
small weights on pendulum
significantEvent first ticked in 1859
subject of major conservation works in the 2010s
strikes Great Bell
quarter bells
timekeepingAccuracy within one second
winding manual
windingFrequency three times a week

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Palace of Westminster
hasClock
Palace of Westminster ("Big Ben bell")
notableFeature
Great Clock of Westminster ("Elizabeth Tower clock")
partOf

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