What landmark do you think features every year as the best-selling postcard of London? Tower Bridge? Good guess, but no. Buckingham Palace? Beefeaters? Red phone boxes? Ah, it's too obvious to play this game for long. It is of course, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben standing majestically over the River Thames - a vision of London the world over for billions of people.
The foundation stone of Big Ben was laid down in 1843 and finished in 1859, making the tower more than 160 years old. Since then, it has stood high and mighty and it even survived the Blitz, although its roof and dials suffered damage in a May 1941 air raid which incidentally destroyed the House of Commons' chamber. It still reigns supreme in Westminster - a symbol of Britain's endurance and national pride - even as the landscape of London all around it has transformed into a kaleidoscope of skyscrapers. MyLondon even spoke to the person who keeps Big Ben ticking.
It stands to reason then, that many of the 20 million plus sightseers who flock to London each year might want a glimpse of this most important landmark. But, it seems many visitors are left with a 'meh' response - if any of the 762 one-star reviews on TripAdvisor are to be believed.
One review was titled, "Just a big clock really init". It went on: "Nothing special, really could just go my nan's house and see a clock except big ben's 10x bigger (where did Big Ben get its name by the way?)."
Others found the clock "too big and too brown". A visitor from Nottingham wrote: "I don’t understand the hype. It’s too big and too brown for me. I don’t understand why everywhere sells souvenirs of it like is it an iconic landmark or something." But others thought it wasn't big enough. One person wrote: "More like medium ben. Honestly i've seen bigger lego towers. Will return if they build it higher."
Another wrote: "Lovely tower but situated too close to the river. Lovely clock but I fell into the river when I was looking at the tower and I fell over the side into the freezing cold Thames."
A third person posted: "Went to see the clock and all I can say is my Apple Watch is more accurate and prettier to look at and mine even takes my pulse, what can Big Ben do? Please upgrade the bell so that a coo coo bird comes out each hour, or change the bell sound to 50 cent one good thing though, Mohammad served me some great candied peanuts in a plastic cup for a couple quid (don’t worry I will leave him a review about the plastic)."
A fourth person noted, "It's just a big clock, not really amazing I thought it was going to dance or something. all it did was sit there, i wanted it to the the YMCA," while a fifth added: "Long John would of been a better name, as it’s very long as I couldn’t see the clock without my specs."
Many one-star reviews dating from 2017 through to 2022 took issue with the tower's long renovation works, that saw it covered in scaffolding for much of that time as its bells were restored, spoiling the view for spectators.
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Despite the clock tower's failure to sing and dance for the delight of tourists, it seems not all TripAdvisor reviewers reacted with dismay at its 165-year-old visage, with 19,985 five-star reviews. One delighted reviewer posted: "It is a very touristy thing to check out when you are in London... but those gold sparkles are truly something! I felt like the pictures you find of Big Ben do not best demonstrate that gold-like appearance when you see it in person. This is the reason why you must visit it!"
Another added: "Wow!! So glad we were able to get tickets when they were released! Going up Elizabeth tower and "meeting" Big Ben was fantastic. Thankfully we booked the earliest tour as we knew we were heading out of London that morning so we were with the bells at 12 - for the Westminster comes and all 12 big BONGs."
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