Big Ben to be renamed for Queen Elizabeth?
Members of parliament are to call for the Big Ben clock tower to be renamed in honour of Britain's Queen Elizabeth.Senior MPs are to ask authorities to recognise the monarch's 60 years on the throne with a tribute that echoes one previously paid to Queen Victoria.
The move to change the name of the iconic London clock would be similar to when the west tower of the Palace of Westminster was renamed the Victoria Tower from The King's tower in 1860 to commemorate the then-monarch's long reign.
Foreign Office aide Tobias Ellwood is leading the campaign to have the clock - which is officially known as St. Stephen's Tower and often referred to as The Clock Tower - renamed Elizabeth Tower in June.
He said: ''I can't think of a greater tribute for Parliament to bestow on Her Majesty than the naming of such a landmark as the Clock Tower. If we get the support I hope we will, I would like to see a formal announcement or a ceremony taking place on June 2.''
Mr. Ellwood will table a Commons motion today (23.03.12) calling on the Commission to take forward the proposal.
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock though it is generally extended to refer to the tower as well.
23.03.2012 | back...

