About Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster
Time to correct your friend in the photo: Big Ben is the nickname of the main bell, and the tower has been called Elizabeth Tower since 2012, when it was renamed to honor Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Completed in 1859 and standing 96 meters tall, it came off the drawing boards of Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin.
Between 2017 and 2021, the tower hid behind scaffolding during a restoration whose budget jumped from about £29 million to nearly £80 million. Without the scaffolding, it once again shares the scene with the Houses of Parliament, which together with the Abbey and St Margaret's Church have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
