landmarks.im
The landmarks hub

Famous landmarks, and the true stories behind them.

landmarks.im is a small hub for the world’s famous buildings and structures. Each one gets its own hand-built site, where every fact links to its source, where sources disagree we show each one, and anything that is only our opinion is labelled as such. The first one is open now.

Open now: Big Ben

The bell, not the tower

Big Ben is the Great Bell in the clock tower at Westminster. The tower, officially the Clock Tower, was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. [source]

Since 1859

The Great Clock began keeping time on 31 May 1859, and Big Ben first rang out on 11 July 1859. [source]

A long climb

The tower is 96 metres tall, and it is 334 steps to the belfry. [source]

Five quiet years

Big Ben fell silent for conservation on 21 August 2017 and returned to regular service in November 2022. [source]

The Elizabeth Tower, simplified and cut away (not to scale)Gilt cross and orbrepaired in 2017–22 with everything belowAyrton Light65 more steps above the belfryBelfryBig Ben and four quarter bells, 334 steps upFour clock dials281 steps up to the clock facesAir shaftfresh air for the palace belowWeight shaftin the centre, for the clock’s weightsStone spiral stairin one cornerLower roomsonce for prisoners: MPs who broke the rules96 mtall61 mFootprint: 12 m square61 m of brick faced with Anston stone went up before the iron spire. Heights of the inside rooms here are not measured.
The Elizabeth Tower, cut away: our own drawing, simplified and not to scale. The sourced figures behind it are on the Big Ben tower page.

What is landmarks.im?

Famous towers, bridges, monuments and buildings, and the people who made them. Forts and castles are not covered here. Some true things to start with:

An island wheel

The Great Laxey Wheel, also called Lady Isabella, is the Isle of Man’s best-known landmark; Manx National Heritage calls it the largest working water wheel in the world. [source]

Built in stages

Stonehenge was built in stages: first an early henge about 5,000 years ago, then the stone circle in about 2500 BC. [source]

Two years, two months, five days

Gustave Eiffel’s tower was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, marking 100 years since the French Revolution, in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days. [source]

Two pennies thick

It stands 305 feet 1 inch (92.99 metres) from the ground to the tip of the torch, and its copper skin is 3/32 of an inch thick, about two pennies. [source]

Open the landmarks file

Coming next

Six more landmark sites are planned. None is open yet, and the list may change as the research is done; each will be linked here on the day it goes live.

  • The Great Laxey Wheellaxey-wheel.landmarks.im

    Planned: the Isle of Man’s Lady Isabella, called the largest working water wheel in the world, and the lead mines it was built to drain.

    Planned
  • Stonehengestonehenge.landmarks.im

    Planned: the henge of about 5,000 years ago, the stone circle of about 2500 BC, and the sarsens and bluestones.

    Planned
  • The Eiffel Towereiffel-tower.landmarks.im

    Planned: Gustave Eiffel’s iron tower for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, built in just over two years.

    Planned
  • The Statue of Libertystatue-of-liberty.landmarks.im

    Planned: the copper statue dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886, and how she was made and shipped.

    Planned
  • Tower Bridgetower-bridge.landmarks.im

    Planned: London’s bascule bridge, opened in 1894, and the steam engines that lifted it until 1976.

    Planned
  • Sydney Opera Housesydney-opera-house.landmarks.im

    Planned: Jørn Utzon’s sails on Sydney Harbour, from the first ceremony in 1959 to the opening in 1973.

    Planned
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