Big Ben's clock faces are seen revealed after scaffolds were removed from it, in this photo taken in December 2021 in London. (U.K. Parliament, Jessica Taylor)

       LONDON (Mainichi) -- London landmark Big Ben will return to service in spring 2022 with a fresh new look, after large-scale restoration works started in August 2017 left the clock's hands stopped and its bell silent. What changes will four years of renovations ring in, and what will stay the same? The Mainichi Shimbun spoke to an official overseeing the restoration.

       Big Ben stands at the north end of the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster). Its tower, officially the Elizabeth Tower, is about 96 meters tall. Inside it are five bells of varying sizes, and Big Ben is the biggest bell's nickname. They first rang in 1859, and have undergone repairs before. The current refurbishment work is said to cost 79.7 million pounds (approximately 12.3 billion yen). A British parliamentary official said, "This is the largest and most complex conservation project in the tower's history."

       "I watched the scaffolding going up. It's been quite a journey," reflected Matthew Hamlyn, one of the chairs of the restoration project's board. A senior official in the House of Commons, he has helped lead the hundreds of craftsmen and major contractors involved in the restoration.

       The most difficult part of the restoration was the small area of the clock tower, which is just 12 meters square. A lack of space for scaffolding meant over 3,000 roof tiles and more than 1,000 clock parts had to be dismantled and carried down. The entire Palace of Westminster, including Big Ben, is registered as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On top of the restoration work's difficulty, Hamlyn says, its world heritage site status came with "very stringent heritage considerations on top of the complexity of actually working in the site."

       Matthew Hamlyn, the strategic director of the Chamber Business Team of the House of Commons and the person responsible for the renovation works, is seen in this image provided by U.K. Parliament.

       So, what has the restoration work changed? Most obvious is the color of the numbers on the dial and the clock hands, which has gone from black to dark blue. "We've changed it back to what it was like when the tower was first constructed, a change that takes us back to what it looked like when it was brand new," Hamlyn explained.

       The facilities have also been improved, with upgrades to fire prevention, electrical facilities, digital technology and other equipment. The tower has also been outfitted with a new elevator. "This is in a much better condition and will be able to face up another 50-100 years of whatever British weather and use can throw at it," Hamlyn said.

       The renovation's progress led to some scaffolding being removed near the end of December 2021 and revealing all four sides of the tower's clock faces. The brightly colored dials seem to give a strong impression, with passing locals and tourists pointing their smartphone cameras at Big Ben.

       The hands of Big Ben's clockface, which have changed to a deep blue, are seen in December 2021 in London. (U.K. Parliament, Jessica Taylor)

       What remains the same? "There are five things that have not changed at all, and those are the bells," Hamlyn replied. The sound of the bells, which rang across the capital every 15 minutes before renovation work started, will continue to soothe Londoners' hearts.

       The U.K. has experienced many changes during the renovations. At the end of January 2020, the country left the EU, and within the same year the coronavirus was spreading in the community. The resultant lockdown brought works to a four-month standstill that pushed back work originally meant to finish by the end of 2021.

       Hamlyn, who has worked at the Houses of Parliament for over 30 years, recalled, "This noise you hear every 15 minutes is just part of your day-to-day soundscape. And it was very odd when we turned the bells off." Big Ben has stood the test of time across three centuries, and survived two world wars through to the Cold War. "It is nice when world is always changing ... to say, well there's something which hasn't changed. It's still there. It's still telling the time and it's slightly comforting," Mr. Hamlyn said.

       (Japanese original by Mikako Yokoyama, London Bureau. Translated by Ali Ibrahim)

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