Nothing works forever without maintenance

As a result, maintenance has become the talk of the town in London. After all, for Londoners and Britons alike, the iconic tower and clock is a matter of state. For example, did you know that a microphone in the tower is connected by a direct cable to the BBC's Broadcasting House? At midnight, the ringing of the bell is broadcast worldwide and live. It shows how deeply embedded this symbol is in British culture. And it makes it understandable that there is a lot of attention for the long-term maintenance that will start in the course of 2017 and will last no less than three years.

Renovation of an icon

The last major 'planned' maintenance of Big Ben and the Great Clock dates back more than 30 years, and never before has the operation of the mechanism been halted for so long. Earlier stoppages only occurred in exceptional circumstances (extreme heat, war). Next year, works worth almost 40 million euros will start. 

On the to-do list: a thorough maintenance of the internal clock mechanism, installation of a lift, repairs to the brickwork and tackling corrosion of the roof. The hands and clock face will also get a facelift. Finally, the fire and safety facilities for staff and visitors must also be brought up to date. One of the most crucial phases of this shutdown is the improvement and repair of the pendulum, which contributes to the clock always running correctly to within two seconds. 

Lesson learned

It is clear that the British do not want to take any risks and this time resolutely opt for a thorough maintenance in order to extend the clock's life span. This was not always the case. On 5 August 1976, metal fatigue suddenly set in when the bell began to ring at 3.45 pm. The connection between the bell mechanism and the flywheel broke down, destroying the whole thing. Parts flew around, even through the ceiling! The cast-iron frame collapsed and fell on a lower engine. All this meant that the entire clock mechanism had to be rebuilt, a job that took almost a year.

If you think about it - pardon the pun - it is quite an achievement that the 1976 incident was the clock's first and only major failure.  Steve Jaggs, the clock keeper, let us in on the secret: "our team of specialist clock technicians looks after this Victorian masterpiece every day, but to make it ready for the next 160 years we really need to do this thorough inspection and overhaul".  One thing is already clear: lengthy and complex works are planned. And this requires a great deal of preparation...

A major stop is serious business

However, in an interview about the planned renovation, the spokeswoman for the parliament (owner of the clock) said the following: "The preparation of the works is still in progress, and we currently do not have a detailed time frame for the works."   Looking at this particular Big Ben shutdown from the point of view of an industrial stop, it does raise a few eyebrows. Surely, when it comes to maintaining a monument of this stature, one would expect such drastic works to be planned a little longer in advance?  After all, a shutdown is a tricky business: it is a complex puzzle, involving many staff (internal and external) and major potential safety risks. 

A shutdown is also an expensive activity: not only does the shutdown itself cost a lot, every hour of delayed recommissioning costs money in lost revenue. Studies show that there is still a lot of room for improvement in the industry when it comes to shutdowns: fiascoes, budget overruns in the millions of euros, accidents, etc. happen too regularly. A critical success factor is determining the scope of works sufficiently in advance. And further: stick to the plan, with only limited possibilities for last-minute changes.  It is also important to learn from mistakes. And that is, of course, only possible if knowledge of the previous shutdown is used to ensure that the next one will run more smoothly.  In practice, however, there are many complicating factors: there are extra modifications to be made, timing changes at the last minute, or when opening up the installations, it suddenly turns out that there is a lot more going on, etc. As the person responsible for the shutdown, it is better to build in some margin for the unexpected.

Final note

Shutdowns remain a major challenge, whether for an industrial installation or an iconic monument. One thing is certain: the earlier the scope and the date of the stop are defined, the greater the chance that everything can be realised within the intended time and budget. I am already very curious to know when Big Ben will ring again...

Wim Van Cauwenberghe