Elizabeth II’s jubilee which was celebrated on Saturday made British officials wonder whether the name of the famous Big Ben tower should be renamed the Elizabeth Tower. According to Daily Mail, most members of the House support the renaming of the tower, but the final decision will be adopted in June.
Queen Victoria was the last leader to celebrate a diamond jubilee in 1897. The construction of the Clock Tower which is now known as the Big Ben was finished during her reign, in 1859. The edifice was dedicated to the sovereign, which is why one of the four facets contains the Latin inscription “DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM” meaning “O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First”.
Given that Queen Elizabeth II is the only sovereign to celebrate a diamond jubilee since Queen Victoria, the members of the British Parliament have decided to honor the monarch by renaming the Big Ben tower. According to officials, the new name of the edifice will be the Elizabeth Tower. However, this will be only the formal name as the clock will continue to be called Big Ben among residents and tourists.
Prime Minister David Cameron was among the first lawmakers who suggested that the name of the tower should be changed in order to mark the Queen’s 60th year on the throne. The suggesting was adopted by the majority of the people in the Parliament and 331 lawmakers have signed up to the campaign. Cameron was pleased to see that British officials are willing to bring tribute to their monarch.
The Clock Tower was commonly named Big Ben due to its huge bell which strikes the hours making the streets of central London resound with its “bongs”. The neo-Gothic tower is 316-foot tall and is now carefully studied because it could present a small tilt. Based on the latest analyses, the tilt is 0.26 degrees to the northwest and there are very few chances for it to grow bigger in the following 10,000 years.
Numerous events have been prepared for Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee which will be celebrated over four days starting on Saturday. A 1,000-boat river pageant and a star-studded concert are some of the events that have been prepared for this unique celebration.
