Tourists visiting Big Ben after its £61 million renovation is complete in 2021 may notice a subtle change in the appearance of London’s most famous clock tower.
Although visitors may think its hands and numerals were always black, research from scientists at Lincoln University found that the pieces were blue until the 1930s, the Mail reports.
When the scaffolding is removed from the landmark in two years after its multi-million-pound restoration, visitors will be able to see the deep Prussian blue restored to the metalwork.
More than 120 samples of the dial’s paint were studied by scientists, with researcher Rhiannon Clarricoates telling the Mail “there have been four successive schemes of it being blue”.
Pollution in the capital and the effects of weathering reportedly caused the hands and numerals to turn black.
The landmark was silenced in August 2017 to make way for a four-year renovation but the clock has since been restarted for important national events, such as Armistice Day.
Its chimes will ring once again on Monday night to celebrate New Year, although the bells are currently being powered by an electric motor instead of its original mechanism.
A bespoke electric mechanism has been built to power the 200kg striking hammer.
The Elizabeth Tower, home to the Great Clock and the Great Bell - known as Big Ben - is undergoing the complex programme of conservation works to safeguard it for generations to come.
