Big Ben rings in the London 2012 Olympic Games - Chimed 40 times non-stop for three minutes

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is generally extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower as well. The clock tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. It celebrated its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place. The tower was completed in 1858 and has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben The historic London landmark was joined by hundreds of churches and other organisations in celebrating the start of the London 2012 spectacle. The Westminster clock began chiming at 8.12am after special permission had been granted for it to toll out of its regular sequence -- the first time it had done so since February 15 1952. The event was attended by Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, and was counted down to by HMS Belfast canon fire. The bells at the National Assembly for Wales, Stormont in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Parliament also rang at the same time. The simultaneous bell ringing, the brainchild of Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed, was part of the London 2012 Festival event and had the title Work No. 1197. Members of the public also joined in, with many sounding bike bells, handbells and even special phone apps. Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/90645... Google Maps: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Big+Be...