London's Big Ben to fall silent for urgent repairs

Photo taken on April 27, 2016 shows a general view of the Big Ben in central London, Britain. London's famous Big Ben is to be given a 29 million-pound ($42 million) facelift, the British Parliament announced Tuesday. A three-year program of work will begin early in 2017. It will mean the clock being switched off and the bell silenced for a period of time while the work is carried out. [Photo/Xinhua]

LONDON - The famous chimes of Big Ben will fall silent next year as the 160-year-old parliamentary clock tower undergoes essential repairs as part of a 29 million-pound ($42 million) project.

The tower will be partially covered in scaffolding for three years, although engineers plan to keep at least one of the four clock faces always visible.

The bells will fall silent for several months, chiming only for important events, a House of Commons statement said.

The last significant repair work on Big Ben was in 1983-85 and both the clock and its 96-meter (315 ft) tower urgently need attention. Work is expected to start early in 2017.