Monday 21 August 2017

Struck Dumb!

Whitechapel foundry cast the Bell
Which took a full two weeks to cool
Pugin's last design bode well
He went mad later – that was cruel!

In Gothic splendour it resides
Iconic symbol on Thamesside
Its chimes more frequent than the tides
At 96 metres, London's pride.

Majestic, much loved, bold Big Ben
A giant timepiece now struck dumb
Four years* before it's heard again
Its vow of silence has begun.

At a cost of millions, so we hear
Full overhaul and shining face
This British landmark has no peer
Though a stone's throw from the «Other Place»!**

(c) Poet in the woods 2017

* 2021!
** House of Lords
Augustus Pugin (1812-1852)



May 2021: Big Ben back! Clock tower roof on display after 3 YEARS of multi-million pound repairs BIG BEN will be seen by Brits without scaffolding for the first time in three years in the coming weeks.

November 2023 - Bill Ben chimes again after extensive renovation work:

1 comment:

  1. Love the way you intertwined historical facts into this, Sarah :-)

    ReplyDelete