Big Ben to be silent for four years

[hornetrider]

What the fk are they doing. Rebuilding it from the ground up?

I'm no campanologist but Jesus Christ. Four years! And 30m! That's thirty million pounds. It's easy to throw away figures like that in amongst overall govt expenditure and costlier projects but that is a lot of cash.

[Jonesy23]

You try doing a major cosmetic and functional refurb and structural repair of a grade 1 listed UNESCO world heritage site and associated clock at that height in London and see what it costs.

£150K / week including materials doesn't strike me as too bad to be honest.

[dandarez]

Jonesy23 said:

You try doing a major cosmetic and functional refurb and structural repair of a grade 1 listed UNESCO world heritage site and associated clock at that height in London and see what it costs.

£150K / week including materials doesn't strike me as too bad to be honest.

[dandarez]

Personally, I think they've dropped a clanger.

[thebraketester]

30million? ..... pull the other one....

[Cold]

I say, ding dong.

[Yipper]

We all know where it will end up... Cost 60 million and 6 years... The contractors will string it out and milk it to the max for a national icon.

[Murph7355]

Jonesy23 said:

You try doing a major cosmetic and functional refurb and structural repair of a grade 1 listed UNESCO world heritage site and associated clock at that height in London and see what it costs.

£150K / week including materials doesn't strike me as too bad to be honest.

This.

Every time I do some work/a project on even a simple, 520yr old house I want to line up Kirsty Allsop, Sarah Beanie, Phil Spencer, George Clarke, Kevin McCloud and any other TV celeb who has uttered how much stuff costs and bury them in a pit filled with concrete. Fortunately I wouldn't get listed building consent for that and the alternatives probably wouldn't have the same impact

[Halmyre]

Never fear, the full weight of Her Majesty's Press is on the case.

(from BBC web site)

"There is criticism of plans to stop Big Ben's chimes because of concerns about the hearing of workers involved in a restoration scheme.

The Daily Mail believes health and safety has succeeded in silencing the bells where the Luftwaffe failed.

The Sun says the project is "all bong wrong" and officials should have come up with a more imaginative solution to protect the workers.

The Daily Telegraph also asks why a compromise was not possible to keep the bell in action.
In its leader column, the paper says that the most famous emblem of the nation is being silenced at a crucial time as the UK negotiates the terms of its new identity.
It asks "if the ravens are also to be dispatched from the tower" a reference to the superstition that if the ravens leave the Tower of London the Crown - and Britain - will fall."

[Pesty]

[sparks_E39]

This will have such a negative impact on my life in east Dorset

But seriously though, the cost and estimated repair time don't surprise me.

[juice]

Can't they replace the bong with a recording of a cockerel instead for the next few years ?

[Oakey]

That's still only half the cost of what was spent not building that garden bridge

[kowalski655]

juice said:

Can't they replace the bong with a recording of a cockerel instead for the next few years ?

Or the Muslim call to prayer....get the Daily Mail readers to explode

[thebraketester]

I am rather surprised that they have not developed a system of speakers at the bottom of the tower to reproduce the sound of the bells.

[Ridgemont]

Jonesy23 said:

You try doing a major cosmetic and functional refurb and structural repair of a grade 1 listed UNESCO world heritage site and associated clock at that height in London and see what it costs.

£150K / week including materials doesn't strike me as too bad to be honest.

The costs and duration appear to be related to the fact they thought it would be a great idea to add a lift. Which will only go half way up. When they've done previous refutes they shut for periods of 6 weeks.

[Megaflow]

Anybody that thinks this refurbishment is a minor like of paint type deal, needs to see the size and scale of the temporary steel work that he's been constructed to enable the works.

[Vocal Minority]

kowalski655 said:

juice said:

Can't they replace the bong with a recording of a cockerel instead for the next few years ?

Or the Muslim call to prayer....get the Daily Mail readers to explode

Tempting

You could probably power the whole south east on the fury it would produce!

The Mail's take about the Luftwaffe is my favourite - squealing over-reaction at its best

[ApOrbital]

They need

[Rovinghawk]

ApOrbital said:

They need

Rank stupidity.