Mark Duffy/UK Parliament(LONDON) — Big Ben, the iconic clock tower in London, is returning to its former glory.
The clock’s north face has been restored to its original Prussian blue and gold colors. Sir Charles Barry built the tower in 1859.
Big Ben, which is currently covered in scaffolding, has been undergoing a major makeover that’s expected to be completed in 2021.
“It was incredibly exciting to slowly piece together the tower’s appearance as has it evolved throughout the decades and we are thrilled to see the original color scheme looking out over modern London once more,” Phillipa McDonnell and Rhiannon Clarricoates, the Lincoln Conservation researchers who worked on the restoration project, told ABC News in an email.
The famous 13-ton bell was silenced in August 2017 to start the $80 million renovation. The chimes still ring out for special occasions such as Armistice Day or New Year’s Eve.
Three of the four clock dials are still being repaired.
The last extensive conservation work at the Gothic tower was done between 1983 and 1985.
The Westminster Palace, home to the Houses of Parliament, is one of the top-visited sites in London and Big Ben is the star of the show.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.