Big Ben

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 16999
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Liverpoolphil said:
Hence why maybe to replace it all would cost a lot more than the refurb ?
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So from the statement costing £40Mil. £4.5Mil is on the Clock and seperate to the £7 Billion on the rest of the building, so £35.5Mil on other work around the tower, visitor centre and lift!!
Genuine question, is there a monetary limit you would impose?
 
Surely we can get some cheap foreign labour to repair it for £200 cash? :whistle:
 
Refurbs usually cost more as they have to use equiavalent materials, keep to the styles etc. Hideously expensive. One of a number of reasons you should never buy a grade 2 listed house unless you have very deep pockets.

This is a very interesting debate, where do you stop in terms of a blank cheque? Can it be never ending?

Personally I would move MP's out of Westminster, refurb it and open it up to paying visitors. It would be cheaper to repair it to be safe for visitors, far more expensive to repair it and make the offices up to modern day standards. Purpose build a new parliament or put a new parliament in one of the many current govt owned building. Less money than re-doing Westminster in full.

Big Ben has to be looked at as well. Do we care about the bell? No, not really. Send the chimes out by speaker, most churches do now. No one sees the bell anyway. Bring the bell down and make it a museum exhibit.

We need to protect our history but we also need to be smart about it as well.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
Refurbs usually cost more as they have to use equiavalent materials, keep to the styles etc. Hideously expensive. One of a number of reasons you should never buy a grade 2 listed house unless you have very deep pockets.

This is a very interesting debate, where do you stop in terms of a blank cheque? Can it be never ending?

Personally I would move MP's out of Westminster, refurb it and open it up to paying visitors. It would be cheaper to repair it to be safe for visitors, far more expensive to repair it and make the offices up to modern day standards. Purpose build a new parliament or put a new parliament in one of the many current govt owned building. Less money than re-doing Westminster in full.

Big Ben has to be looked at as well. Do we care about the bell? No, not really. Send the chimes out by speaker, most churches do now. No one sees the bell anyway. Bring the bell down and make it a museum exhibit.

We need to protect our history but we also need to be smart about it as well.
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I totally agree...well about the Big Ben bit at least. Not entirely convinced about a new parliament building but again with the costs involved it may be an idea that grows on me more and more. Have to say having seen the BBC2 documetary series on the Houses of Parliament a while back, it's barely a structure fit for purpose
 
I consider myself patriotic and proud of our heritage but have to say the amount quoted to repair a clock tower is obscene and I can't justify it. Like earlier posts, surely with technology today it could be done cheaper. Would tourists not visit if the clock was not working? I have been there several times when it was stopped, didn't seem to stop the Japanese photographing it.
How many hospitals could this sum build? Remember....we are in times of austerity!
 
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