It’s that time of year again, when we have to fiddle with our watches. We’ll be saying goodbye to British Summer Time (BST) and putting our clocks back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
What are you going to do with your extra hour? If you are near central London you should go and have a look at Big Ben. Yes, we know, Big Ben is just the name of the bell within the Elizabeth Tower, but did you know that when the clocks change, the big clock is stopped for a few hours? The dial lights are turned off so as not to confuse people and the Palace of Westminster Clockmakers take advantage of this time to perform some vital maintenance to the mechanism.
We thought we’d take advantage of this opportunity to pay homage to all things horological with our favourite clock items:
Make Your Own London Landmarks 3D Model: Big Ben. £4.99
Make your own Big Ben with this 3D model. The pieces easily slot into each other like jigsaw pieces, no scissors or glue required. A brief history of the iconic clock tower features on the back of the package.
London Create Your World- Colouring Book. £7.99
There are a few chances to colour in Big Ben as you discover your inner artist and colour each pen-and-ink illustration in this London colouring book. You can also colour in a corgi, a pub or maybe a London park with this beautiful colouring in book that is not just for children.
Big City Wall Clock. £60
This large analogue time zone clock has four independent mechanisms, a large one to view the current time of place and three smaller below that are marked as New York, London and Tokyo. Perfect for travellers or those who liaise with overseas offices.
Finding Longitude: How Clocks and Stars Helped Solve the Longitude Problem. £25
The official publication of the National Maritime Museum’s exhibition “Ships, Clocks and Stars: The Quest for Longitude”. This beautifully illustrated book is a detailed account of the stories that answer the question of how the longitude problem was solved.
Horse-Drawn Omnibus Tour. Adults: £30, children: £10, family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): £60
For the best seats in town, climb on board our Victorian Omnibus and have a top-deck view of Big Ben and other amazing London sights. Tours run every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm, 4.30pm and 6pm.