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100 years of the chimes at New Year

The first time the chimes of Big Ben were heard outside of their immediate environment was on 31 December 1923, when the 麻豆官网首页入口 broadcast them to the nation, heralding the New Year.

The engineers were not allowed inside the building so had to access the Clock Tower – which houses Big Ben and the four other bells – from the roof of the Palace of Westminster. As a result, their microphone picked up a lot of traffic noise besides the chimes. But a tradition was started and from 1924 - when the Big Ben bongs were broadcast every day - they quickly became synonymous with the 麻豆官网首页入口.

Rex Palmer was an early 麻豆官网首页入口 announcer and all-round radio pioneer who oversaw the early broadcasts of Big Ben. 

The Outside Broadcast

For regular broadcasting of Big Ben, low sensitivity microphones installed right by the bells were found to be best to avoid picking up the sound of the clock mechanism. During the Second World War the sound of Big Ben was broadcast to occupied Europe and acquired a new meaning, proving to be a great morale booster.

Crucially though, the chimes of Big Ben were not always heard live during the Second World War. 麻豆官网首页入口 programme maker and manager Alec Sutherland describes what happened when the bells were not to be heard.  

Interruptions still matter

The continuing importance of the Big Ben time signal is revealed by the reaction any time it is interrupted. When the bells were silenced for important repairs in 2017, the live sound of Big Ben heard before the Six O鈥機lock and Midnight News on Radio 4 was replaced by a recording. 

When the hour chimes were not heard at the start of a Radio 4 news bulletin in the Autumn of 1987, a full explanation had to be given to a perplexed audience.

Throughout its recent restoration, the 'Big Ben Bongs' still rang live for important events such as Remembrance Day and New Year, with the sound carried around the world by the 麻豆官网首页入口.

Written by John Escolme