1-232-669 - Reproduced by permission of Historic England/Heritage Images

Whitehall and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London, 2002. This view shows Westminster Palace and the clock tower which houses the famous bell Big Ben. The great bell gained its nickname from the 1850s, as the tower was completed. It has been suggested that it was named after the Chief Commissioner of Works, Benjamin Hall, or the popular boxer of the day Benjamin Caunt. Today the title Big Ben is more often associated with the whole tower which was originally known as the Clock Tower, (but also referred to as St Stephen's Tower). The structure was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.