Big Ben, one of Britain’s most loved landmarks and a global symbol of Victorian London and the Gothic Revival style is the latest set to join the LEGO® Architecture series. Budding architects, engineers, and designers alike will love walking in the footsteps of the world’s greatest architects as they recreate their works with this inspirational range.
Officially known as the Clock Tower, Big Ben has stood at the north-eastern corner of the Palace of Westminster in London for more than 150 years and has a rich and fascinating history. It was designed by the unlikely team of Classical architect Charles Barry and Gothic Revival pioneer Augustus Pugin and completed in 1859, after 16 years of work.
Charles Barry won the competition to build the new Palace of Westminster in January 1836 following a fire that burned down much of the original palace. As his own style was more Classical than the increasingly popular Gothic Revival, Barry asked for assistance from Augustus Pugin, a leading light of the movement which left its indelible mark on the Victorian era around the world.
The fourteenth model in the LEGO Architecture series, LEGO Big Ben was designed by LEGO architect Rok Zgalin Kobe from Slovenia, who said, “The most challenging part of creating this model was representing the richness of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture in a scale usually more appropriate for modern or contemporary architecture of smooth surfaces and clean lines.”
LEGO Architecture products are ingenious recreations of well-known landmarks and works of important architects from around the world. Full of inspiration for future architects, engineers and designers as well as fans of architecture, the series is stunningly presented. Each set contains a booklet which brings the story behind the building to life, featuring exclusive, archival history, information and photographs about each iconic building, its design origin, its architect and its architectural features, as well as step-by-step instructions on construction. Travel the world of architecture by collecting all the sets in the range!
Become a Big Ben Buff! What You Never Knew About Big Ben:
- When the old palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834, a competition was announced for the design of a new palace building.
- Charles Barry’s original design was only two thirds the size of the completed building and was missing the Clock Tower that would come to be known as Big Ben.
- Neither Charles Barry nor Augustus Pugin lived to see the completion of their work. The intricate designs added a whole decade to the estimated six year building time and tripled the initial budget.
- The design of the clock mechanism, by Edward John Dent, set new standards in the field of clock making to live up to the then unheard of demands that the first stroke of each hour should be accurate to within one second.
- Big Ben was the unofficial name given to the tower’s Great Bell. It was the largest bell in Britain at the time and named after either Sir Benjamin Hall, the first Works Commissioner, or Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer.
- Visits to Big Ben are open to residents of the UK only after arrangement with your local Member of Parliament.
The LEGO 21013 Big Ben is available for purchase from 1st June in LEGO brand retail stores, LEGOLAND Stores and online at shop.lego.com. Aimed at ages 12+, the product measures Measures 7.7” (19.4cm) tall, 3.8” (9.6cm) wide and 3.1” (8cm) deep, and has a RRP of £24.99.
For more information about LEGO Architecture visit architecture.lego.com
