Great Clock of Westminster • The World's Most Famous Clock

Welcome back to our next adventure in London. Moving to a different country is challenging but an amazing experience. Some of you might have already known from our previous posts that we just moved recently from the Philippines to London. The change of surroundings is amazing but the very cold weather is challenging.

Last time we roamed the streets of London this time let me share with you our first experience seeing The World's Most Famous Clock.

If you would ask a lot of people what is one of the most iconic structures in London. A lot would say it is Big Ben, well that is sort of correct but the clock itself is called " The Great Clock of Westminster". Big Ben is actually the massive 15.1-ton bell inside the tower and not the clock itself.

Just across the River Thames is an amazing spot to view the magnificent structure. We only see the tower in movies and pictures and we were breath taken seeing this view for the very first time in real life. It almost felt so unreal but we are here face to face with The Great Clock of Westminster.

The tower that houses the Great clock is called Elizabeth Tower which was originally called St. Steven's Tower. The name was changed in celebration of the 60th year on the throne.

The clock tower is connected to The Palace of Westminster which is the meeting place of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Visiting will require booking.

Tour cost

Guided tours of the Palace of Westminster

£29.00 for adults
£24.50 for young adults
£13.00 for children

Inside UK Parliament guided tours

Free but for UK residents only

The tour is too expensive for us so we will skip this one for the time being.

The path across the Palace of Westminster is a beautifully scenic location. A picture-perfect location lined up with trees and vintage lamp posts. The place feels so romantic as if it is from a setting in a romance movie.

At first, I thought these hearts on the walls are for lovers but as I looked closer these hearts have names of those who passed away from Covid19. The wall is called "The National Covid Memorial Wall". I am not sure if the memorial is permanent or if it will be removed. It saddens me that a lot of people passed away during those dark times. These days although the virus remains things are looking normal now.

Walking across Westminster Bridge there were so many people from around the world taking photos with the iconic clock. I could hear different languages and different accents as we crossed the bridg

It is indeed a very exciting experience as we came closer and closer to the structure. A very important site built over 900 years ago has so much history and story to tell.

We finally reached the colossal clock tower and took a few minutes to behold its glory. The tower has been renovated for five years and has been shrouded. The timing of our arrival in the UK was spot on as the newly renovated tower was just recently completed.

The clock chimes every hour and the chime are very recognizable. The tune is called Westminster Quarters and you could search it online to hear the tune.

We reached the right side of the tower and here more tourists are taking photos. From this side you can get a good angle of the tower.

It seems to be a good angle from this spot. Might as well get a few shots of my own. While taking some photos I got to hear the chime of the clock at 1 PM.

Just across you will see St. Margaret's Church. Another site to visit which we would do on once we have time again to roam central London.

Just across from St. Margaret's Church is Government Offices Great George Street. A very old building which is also very beautiful. Near the building is Sir Winston Churchill Statue.

There are so many things and places to see here in London and we have a lot of time to take it slow. London is majestic and we will try to share more of it thru the eyes of a foreigner from the Philippines.

Thank you for joining us today and hope to see you again soon.

Cheers!