Either the large bell, or the Great Bell, as it is also commonly labeled, was named after the English heavyweight boxing champion of the day, Benjamin Caunt, or after Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell itself.
Two possibilities remain the most credible. Interesting to point out is the fact that historians aren’t quite sure how the Big Ben appellation originally came into being. Over time, however, the name has come to encompass the entire clock tower. The name "Big Ben" officially refers to the largest bell in the Palace of Westminster’s St. Save for a few breakdowns and outages, it has been keeping time for more than 150 years. The tower itself was completed in 1858, as is true of the Great Bell that is housed inside. As for when Big Ben was built, work on the new Palace of Westminster began with the laying of the foundation stone in 1840. The faces of the four clocks are an impressive 23 square feet in size, and as for the Great Bell, it stands seven-and-a-half feet tall. Big Ben is also around 90 years older than Big Benzene, making it more historical.Īlso, it seems that when Big Benzene was being constructed by Croydon-based clockmakers Gillett & Johnson, they appear to have forgotten to give it a nice, loud ‘bong’ to give it a chance to compete against its more famous counterpart.Some of the most popular questions about the structure include how tall is Big Ben and when was Big Ben built? The famous tower on the banks of the River Thames measures 316 feet in height. Shell Mex House is 58 metres tall, while the Elizabeth Tower is 96 metres high. It may be the larger of the two clocks, but it can be difficult to notice from street level because of trees blocking the view. Why then don’t Londoners make as much of a fuss about ‘Big Benzene’ as they do about Big Ben? Well, first of all, Big Benzene doesn’t seek to attract as much attention. Although the building is today officially simply known as 80 Strand, it’s still referred to colloquially as Shell Mex House. Its current owners, the German Conley/Conle family, bought it in 2013 for a reported £610 million. 'Big Benzene' as seen from the South Bank of the River Thames (Image: Getty Images) It was purchased by Westbrook Partners, an American equity firm owned by the Reuben brothers in 2007 for £590 million. The two companies parted ways in 1976, with Shell Mex maintaining ownership of the building until it was sold in the 1990s. Its construction was funded by Shell-Mex and BP after the two companies merged.
The building, which was originally built by the Messrsin architectural firm in the Art Deco style, was completed in 1931. That’s because, as the name of the building indicates, the because for several decades served as the headquarters of the Shell petrol company.
In fact, much like Big Ben, the clock on top of Shell Mex House has its own nickname - ‘Big Benzene’. However, the clock on top of Shell Mex House is 7.62 metres in diameter, not only making it the biggest clock in London, but the biggest clock in the entire United Kingdom. That’s right, the clock at the top of Shell Mex House is even bigger than the clocks on top of the Elizabeth Tower, which locals lovingly call Big Ben after the bell inside the tower.Įach of Big Ben’s four clocks are 7 metres in diameter. 'Big Benzene' on top of Shell Mex House (Image: Getty Images)
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