Big Ben falls silent – Great Clock undergoing repairs – an annotated infographic

The famous chimes of Big Ben are to fall silent after 157 years of nearly unbroken service.

The Great Clock of the Palace of Westminster in London needs urgent repairs as part of a £30m project to prevent its mechanism from failing. The tower will be partially covered in scaffolding for three years from 2017, although engineers plan to keep at least one of the four clock faces always visible.

The bells will fall silent for several months, chiming only for important events, a House of Commons statement said.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

I say, ding dong