A Palace of Power and Fire
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Or more formally, the Palace of Westminster. A place of power for nearly a thousand years. The medieval royal palace became Parliament’s meeting ground in the 16th century. But fire came in 1834. Destroyed most of it. Out of the ashes rose the Gothic Revival building you see today. Designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin.
It’s strange. Power always looks eternal. But one night, it can burn. Same with careers. Same with businesses. One mistake and the foundation shakes. Heart? Racing. You rebuild or you vanish.
The Tower and the Bell
Everyone says Big Ben. But Big Ben is not the tower. It’s the bell. A great bell weighing 13.7 tons. Hung inside what is now called the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. Installed in 1859. It cracked almost immediately. Left a scar in its sound. That crack gave it its off, imperfect tone. The famous E-note bong.
Flaws became its brand. People love it for the sound that was never meant to be. Same with us. Broken habits. Self-doubt. Growth with scars. Success doesn’t sound perfect—it sounds human.
Striking Through the War
World War II came. Bombs hit the Palace of Westminster. Fires burned again. But Big Ben kept striking. Hour after hour. The sound carried on the BBC World Service. Across seas, across borders. Hope disguised as a bell tower.
It reminds you. Even in chaos, consistency matters. Show up. Keep the rhythm. Even if the world is falling apart.
A Living Monument
The Palace is more than Big Ben. Westminster Hall still stands, built in 1097. Ancient timber roof. Survivor of centuries. Inside are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The debates, the shouting, the decisions that shape lives. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Grade I listed building. History alive.
Like growth itself. Old and new stitched together. Success built on ruins.
Visiting Big Ben and the Palace
Tourists cannot climb Big Ben. Not casually, at least. But you can tour the Houses of Parliament. Saturdays. Parliamentary recesses. You can even sit in on debates or committee hearings. Free. Watching democracy breathe in real time.
For photos, Westminster Bridge is perfect. Or the South Bank. The tower against the river, glowing gold in the evening. The chimes of the bells still ring out. Every quarter. Every hour.
Stand there and you feel it. Time passing. Doubts fading. Reminders that even cracked bells keep ringing.
Lessons From a Cracked Bell
Big Ben was flawed from the start. A crack in its voice. Yet it became the sound of London. The Palace burned, twice. Yet it still rules as a center of power.
Success isn’t clean. Habits break. Careers tilt. Plans burn. But if you keep striking, keep showing up, you become timeless.
Big Ben is more than a bell. It’s persistence in metal. And that’s why it lives forever in memory.
