Big Ben on Remembrance Day 2018: Chimes at 11am mark Armistice Day centenary followed by bell ringing across the globe

Hatty Collier|Tom Powell11 November 2018

Big Ben will sound on Remembrance Sunday to mark the centenary of the Armistice.

The bell will chime despite the clock tower being covered in scaffolding for conservation works.

The 13.7 tonne bell, which hangs in the Elizabeth Tower in Westminster, will sound 11 times at 11am on Sunday for the traditional two minutes of remembrance, the Government has said.

It will strike a further 11 times at 12.30 with bells across the UK and worldwide as part of a programme of events to mark the end of the First World War 100 years ago.

Big Ben is currently in the middle of four years of restoration work
PA Archive/PA Images

London’s iconic bell, Big Ben, did not ring throughout the war but finally chimed again on Armistice Day amid an outpouring of relief.

It will ring out at 11am on Remembrance Sunday, marking the moment the war ended.

This will be followed by the international bellringing at 12.30pm which is a joint campaign organised by the British and German governments.

As part of the initiative, 1,400 new bellringers have been recruited to honour the 1,400 who lost their lives during the war.

Bells will ring out from churches and cathedrals in cities, towns and villages across the country and around the world.

It is designed to not just symbolise the end of the First World War, but also as a conclusion to four years of centenary commemorations.

The 159-year-old clock tower is currently undergoing renovation work, meaning the famous bells have been silent since August 2017 after being disconnected from the clock mechanism.

The bells were reconnected briefly to ring in the new year in 2018, but the entire clock mechanism has since been removed for repair and maintenance works.

A bespoke electric mechanism has been built to power the 200kg striking hammer in order to ensure the Great Bell can mark Remembrance Sunday and New Year's Eve.

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