What's inside Big Ben? (Elizabeth Tower)

Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is the famous clock tower in London, England. Come see how it works!

This video has been dubbed in over 20 languages, you can change the audio track language in the Settings menu (click the gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the video).

⌚Timestamps:
00:00-Intro
00:57-Geography
01:37-History
03:08-Inside Tower
04:09-Belfry
05:25-Ayrton Light
05:41-Clock Mechanism
06:58-Going Train
08:49-Chiming Train
10:20-Striking Train
11:32-Winding it up
12:08-Pennies
12:36-Renovation
13:02-Omaze
14:04-More Animations

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🌐Sources:

Big Ben: The Great Clock and the Bells at the Palace of Westminster by Chris McKAY

Big Ben: The Bell, the Clock and the Tower by Peter MacDonald

Big Ben (Building on a Dream) By Kayleen Reusser

🎧Here is some of the gear that I use for animation:

🟠This animation was made with Blender 3.1 (Cycles Render)

Bridal Bouquet by Cody Martin
Heart Caligraphy by Cody Martin

3D models that I purchased for this video:

📼Video Summary:
The clock tower was built in the 1840s and 1850s but it wasn't until 1862 that the clock was fully functional. It has been ticking almost non-stop now for almost 150 years! There are stairs that go up the very center of the tower and they are also putting in a service elevator in one of the open shafts. The Clock Room is where the mechanism is - this is referred to as the Clock Movement. It's made up of 3 gear trains - the Striking Train, Going Train, and the Chiming Train. The Going Train turns the hands on each of the four dials, the Chiming Train rings the 4 quarter bells, and the Striking Train is responsible for ringing the largest bell "Big Ben". During the video you'll learn more specifically about the parts of the Going Train: the Escape Wheel, Gravity Arms, and the Pendulum. The bells are located above in the Belfry. Every half hour bells will play at least part of the Westminster Chimes. At the very top is the Ayrton Light - used to indicate when Parliament is in session down below.
The renovation that started in 2017 is set to complete in summer to 2022.

#b3d #bigben #clocktower

[JaredOwen]

Thanks for watching my videos! Any other cool facts about Big Ben that I missed? Let me know in the comments below👇

[frenchfry]

It's fascinating to see how pennies can affect the timing of such a huge machine. Loved the video as always.

[IfUfindthisURlost]

I'm sure this has already been mentioned, but the restoration work is complete and the tower and clock face look magnificent. I've seen this tower throughout my life and the overhaul has brought something new to it.

[JohnJohn-hdpc]

I just discovered your channel and am loving everything I've seen. I'm British (though I now live in Europe) and once used to help wind my village's 500 year old clock. Your fantastic graphics and accompanying commentary has added to my understanding. I cannot imagine the work you must do to create such visuals, but I truly appreciate them. Keep up the good work! 👍😃

[zeldagamelover]

Learning about how things work is really amazing, you gotta appreciate how people first learned to make things like this, roller coater, other famous buildings, and products we use and don't think too much about.

[danielmorris]

Amazing to think that this clock has been ticking away for longer than a lot of modern countries have even existed.

[marigeobrien]

Mind Officially Blown. All my life I've never known exactly how a pendulum works, not even after owning a pendulum clock for 20 years! Thank you! I've watched a few of your videos and find they are very clear and easy to understand. You're doing a great job.

[noetek]

Its incredible how the people that built it had the knowledge to make all those gears work.

[JustAGigolo]

Not only did I learn how Big Ben itself works but I also learned how to understand the chimes coming from Clock Towers. Thanks Jared!

[eduardozappia]

Hi Jared, I’m writing in my son’s name he is a 4 years old boy and loves your videos. Especially the Big Ben and statue of liberty.

He is sending you a big hug and a big thank you for you and your work.

His name is Francisco.

All the best!!

[larrysdronezone]

Hi Jared.

My grandson Liam and I really enjoy your great videos showing how things are built and operated. Great work. I just returned from a prairie vacation in which I visited some old wood grain elevators. At one time these prairie sentinels were the spiritual and cultural center of agricultural communities. It occurred to me that these large structures, used for accumulating grain from prairie farmers, would make a good subject for one of your videos. Just a thought. My grandson asked me how they worked and I struggled to explain to him their operation. At one time they represented the highest technology of their day.

[nilanjanghosh]

Making these 3d models are tough and time consuming. I really respect and admire what u do.

[danfossard]

Fascinating! I lived in London 15 years and didn't know most of this! It's basically a giant musical box 🎶

[andrewg.]

The fly fan doesn't slow the rotation of the escapement wheel necessarily, but is meant to keep forward momentum on the escapement wheel so the legs don't bounce on the gravity arms. The fan is attached to a one way clutch which allows it to continue moving forward slightly after the leg of the escapement wheel lands on the pallet of the gravity arm.

[alwaysblake]

There's a reason for over two million subscribers. Each video is meticulously made and incredibly interesting. One of YouTube's great channels.

[hknapp-hjsn]

Beautifully explained and illustrated. When I visited London, I was across the street from this great clock at noon. I can't convey the experience of being fully enveloped in such a rich and resonant live sounds.

[sambda]

Great video - not too detailed; not too superficial.

[labradormcgraw]

I've lived in London all my life, and I never knew all those things. This video was fascinating – thank you.

[Fumzgop]

My 4 year old son is fascinated by your videos, he talks about you and all the things he learnt from watching all your videos. He would rather watch this than those other kids action animations. Thank you so much for teaching us

[NoahSpurrier]

The escapement has two purposes. It takes timing from the swinging pendulum to release the weight that drives the clock, and it feeds an impulse back into the pendulum to keep it swinging.

Also, one might expect that adding coins to the pendulum would increase the period by increasing the swinging mass, but the effect may be counterintuitive. Adding coins does increase the mass, but it also raises the center of mass closer to the fulcrum which has a greater effect and decreases the period (it gives the pendulum a little push).