Shift to the Left

No gigantic cause for alarm- yet - but Big Ben is leaning to the left!

The 315-foot (96-meter) tower is leaning in the northwest direction at an angle of 0.26 degrees, according to a report from 2009 that was recently obtained by the Sunday Telegraph through a Freedom of Information request.


The clock tower — colloquially known as Big Ben after its massive bell — has been slightly off center since it was erected in the mid-19th century. Like many old buildings, its position has been shifting imperceptibly for years due to environmental factors such as seasonal temperature and moisture level changes.

The level of movement northward has been less than 1 millimeter a year since experts began measuring it in the 1970s, Burland said. In the 1990s, the construction of a London Underground line affected the clock tower's foundations and added a small amount of movement to that natural shift, he said.

According to Parliament's website, foundations for the clock tower were first laid in 1843 and the project was completed in 1859, several years behind schedule.