Big Ben picturesAdvanced Photoshop Pictures Contest - 32 image entries
Contest Directions: 
This month the famous British Big Ben celebrates 150th anniversary. Big Ben is actually the name of the large 13 ton bell inside the world's largest four-faced clock, but most people use this name for the whole clock tower. The bell was cast in Whitechapel foundry in April 1858, and ever since produced its unique chimes, called the "bongs". Most importantly Big Ben tower remains one of the national symbols of England.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Big Ben tower photoshop it any way you wish. Some examples include: redesigning Big Ben tower; merging it with some objects or other architectural structures; designing products based on smaller models of Big Ben; including it in advertisements, movies and paintings; decorating it for the birthday party, etc. Here's one good example.
Happy 150th Birthday, Big Ben!
[ browse best gallery pictures ] Tags: big ben
Jackpot: 1st place: $5, 2nd place: $3 , 3rd place: $2
Started: 4/27/2008 5:00:00 AM, Ended: 4/29/2008 6:00:00 AM
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| | Big Ben — bell tower in London, part of an architectural complex of the Westminster palace. Official name — “Clock tower of Westminster Palace” and it is also called “Saint Stephen’s Tower”. Actually "Big Ben" is the largest bell in the mechanism of clocks.
Tower was erected in the year 1858 and tower clock was started on September 7, 1859. Height of the tower is 61m (not taking spire into consideration); clock is positioned at 55m height above the ground. When the diameter of dial is 7 m and length of hands 2.7 and 4.2 m, the clock was considered as the biggest in the world for a longtime. Latin inscription “Domine salvam fac Reginam nostram Victoriam Primam” (“God Save the Queen Victoria I”) is positioned at the base of each of the four dials.
Big Ben became one of the most popular symbols of the Great Britain and often used in advertisements and films etc.
Ringing of clock on tower of UK Parliament is heard all over the world. Microphones of radio service BBC transmit the ringing of clock every hour.
Permission to enter Big Ben is prohibited for tourists as only one narrow spiral staircase leads to top of the 96m tower. 334 steps lead to a small open area, in the center of which is located legendary bell. Big Ben is only a single bell. Its height is more than 2 m and diameter equals roughly 3 m.
Big Ben's name is surrounded with interesting histories. Official version is: Bell was named in the honor of chief of civil works Sir Benjamin Caunt. For impressive sizes, work superintendent was given nickname Big Ben. Other version – bell got this name from strongman and boxer during the rein of Queen Victoria.
Big Ben and other surrounding small bells ring out chimes of following words: "Through out this hour, let the Lord protects me and will not allow anybody to stumble”. After ringing of chimes, first shot of hammer on Big Ben precisely coincides with the first second of start of an hour.
Every 2 days, mechanism undergoes thorough inspection and lubrication and day temperature and pressure are also taken into account. But, like any other clock mechanism, clock on tower of British Parliament are behind or fast sometimes. It is necessary to state that the error is not at all significant - just 1.5 - 2 seconds. Coin, old British penny, is just what is required to correct the position. Nobody precisely knows who got the idea to use the coin for the first time, but the idea worked. Old English penny, placed on the pendulum with 4m length, accelerates its motion by 2.5 seconds per day. By placing or removing the penny, inspector, thus, attains the accuracy. Mechanism, despite almost 1.5 century of its history and weighing 5 tons, works excellently.
Big Ben's dials look at all 4 sides of the world. They are made from Birmingham opal, hour hands are cast from cast-iron and minute hands are made from copper sheet. It is taken into consideration that the minute hands traverse distance of 190 km in a year.
Big Ben is a symbol of its period. Period of greatest dawn of the country. And inscription in Latin: "Oh God, protect our Queen Victoria' - a tribute of personal respect to towards monarch, from which concept such as “British Empire” evolved.
After the bomb hit the Saint Stephens tower during World War II, the clock started working incorrectly.
This clock received improbable popularity both in England as well as beyond its boundaries. Many “Small Bens” have cropped up in London, which are reduced replica of Saint Stephens tower with clocks at top. Such towers - something between an architectural building and salons with floor clocks - began to erect at almost all crossroads.
Most popular "Small Ben" stands at Victoria railway station but actually, it is possible to find a “small Ben” in almost every area of London. |
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