Big Ben’s tilt is getting worse

The economy is struggling, the summer had more riots than sunshine, England are out of the Rugby world cup, and now there are new problems with one of London’s iconic landmarks.

The tower at the palace of Westminster that houses the famous Big Ben bell is leaning, and it is getting worse, sinking into the banks of the Thames.

The lean has always been there, but experts say it is now visible to the naked eye, and it is tilting more and more each year.

“Well, it’s an old story. First of all, it probably tilted the day it was built. The Victorians were superb builders, but even they couldn’t build a 300 foot tower 100 percent straight. So it’s always had a very slight tilt. A report from 2003 identified a very slight increase in that tilt of less than a millimetre,” says the Keeper of the Great Clock Michael McCann.

However, that tilt has nearly doubled in recent years. Whether it is to the right or left depends on your point of view.

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