when was big ben built

Big Ben, the nickname for the Great Bell inside the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster in London, was built as part of the new Palace of Westminster after the old palace was destroyed by fire in 1834. Construction of the clock tower began in 1843 and was completed in 1859. The bell itself first rang across Westminster on May 31, 1859, but it cracked shortly after and was repaired to produce the sound heard today. The clock and tower, designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and others, have since become iconic symbols of London and the United Kingdom.