What’s behind the clockface of London’s Big Ben?

What’s behind the clockface of London’s Big Ben?

Location: London, England

The clock tower has been hidden for more than three years

while it undergoes a $107 million restoration

It's Big Ben's biggest restoration project since it was built in 1859

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BIG BEN CLOCK MECHANIC, ALEX JEFFREY, SAYING:

"There's a thousand parts in total - more than. The entire clock, including everything - weights, hammer work, cranks, to the better looking pieces, wheels and gears. It weighs over 11 and a half tons. So it's a lot of kit. It's extremely dynamic. It's a very well designed clock.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) BIG BEN RESTORATION PROJECT MANAGER, NICK STURGE, SAYING:

"So we're at the stage now where we can start to bring the scaffold down from the belfry all the way to the ground, which is a massive milestone for the project and one that we're extremely proud of. We've, it's been quite a journey. We've replaced lots of stone, we've replaced all of the clock face glass. We've taken off all of the cast iron up at the roof level and repaired it and put it back on."

Big Ben's dials will emerge from the scaffolding in time to ring in the New Year