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<p>The Elizabeth Tower and the Great Clock are currently undergoing the most extensive
conservation project carried out in the 160 years since Big Ben and the quarter bells
began to strike.</p><p>Following conservation off-site, the clock mechanism – which
usually powers the hammers that strike the Great Bell (Big Ben) and the four quarter
bells – is currently being re-installed in the Tower and tested.</p><p>Dusty works
are still ongoing in the ventilation shaft of the Tower, which has required the hands
of the West Dial to be kept stationary to prevent damage to both the hands and the
mechanism itself.</p><p>The clock hands on the West Dial are scheduled to start operating
again towards the end of Spring, once these works have completed. The illumination
of the dials and the return of regular striking of the bells is set to resume before
the conservation project completes in the Summer.</p>
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