Little Ben

Little Ben is a cast-iron miniature clock tower standing at the corner where Vauxhall Bridge Road meets Victoria Street in the City of Westminster. It copies the design of the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, often called Big Ben, which stands at the far end of the same street. The tower was made in 1892 by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon and placed on its pedestal in that year. In 1964 the clock was taken down for roadworks and returned to storage. A full restoration followed in 1981, paid for by Elf Aquitaine Ltd as a gesture of friendship between France and Britain.

A small brass plaque on the tower carries a rhyming couplet signed J.W.R. which refers to a plan for the clock to keep French time in winter and British time in summer. The idea was never carried out, so the clock now shows Greenwich Mean Time in winter and British Summer Time in summer like all other clocks in the country. The tower was removed again in 2012 while London Victoria station was rebuilt and refurbished by Smith of Derby Group before being reinstalled in February 2016.

Visitors to the junction see a neat cast-iron tower painted dark green with gold lettering and a clock face on each side. The base is surrounded by the steady flow of traffic on Victoria Street and Vauxhall Bridge Road, with Victoria station a short walk away. The clock is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England, recognising its place in the city’s history. A silver-painted replica called Lorloz was set up in Victoria, Seychelles, in 1903 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.