Nope, we had no idea either…
After more than a year of restoration, Big Ben’s famous clock face has emerged from behind the scaffolding.
To the surprise of many, the hands and dial on the North Dial are now blue, not black – a nod to its original design.
After 100 years of pollution turned the hands black, Big ben looks gorgeous restored to its original colour of Prussian Blue with gold inlay #LondonCalling pic.twitter.com/9JwwEh3IbP
— Tony Parsons (@TonyParsonsUK) March 22, 2019
Though many on Twitter have suggested that pollution had turned the clock face black, the Evening Standard report that the dial and hands were in fact painted that colour in the 1930s.
In consultation with Historic England, it was determined after substantial research that the original colour scheme of the clock face was ‘Prussian blue’ and gold.
Have you looked up at Big Ben’s newly revealed clock face? Years of dirt and soot had us thinking the hands were black. But now they’re back to blue! #lookuplondon (… yes, I know Big Ben is the bell not the clock) pic.twitter.com/GEL7MYwXia
— Look Up London (@Look_UpLondon) March 21, 2019
Major restoration work began on the Elizabeth Tower, one of London’s most famous landmarks, in 2017. The work is expected to be completed in two years from now. It’s the first time since the 1980s that such significant conservation work has been carried out on the tower.
The tower is home to the Great Bell – known as Big Ben – which was silenced at the start of the renovation. Despite this, it has been used for national events, including Armistice Day and New Year’s Eve.
Clearly, not everyone was aware of the iconic old clock’s original colour scheme…
Big Ben was blue all this time?! Who knew?! It looks beautiful! ❤️ https://t.co/dmasDAke2F
— Matt (@weyland76) March 22, 2019
https://twitter.com/phoeoebe/status/1110226913455497216
Am I the only one not to know that Big Ben face is not actually Black but Blue? It just dirty from pollution! 😳 pic.twitter.com/UqFVjF3HpB
— 🐻The Emancipation of BB🐻 (@Barrowboy77) March 23, 2019
