Big Ben

[MangoRose]

Big Ben is housed in St Stephens Tower. What is the relevance of St Stephen to Parliament? For instance, why was he chosen over St George?

[Quizmonster]

A chapel dedicated to St Stephen had already existed on the site of the Palace of Westminster for centuries before Edward III founded the colleges of St Stephen there and St George at Windsor in the 1340s. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1540s, the Chapel in London served as the House of Parliament until it was destroyed by fire in 1834. Once it was rebuilt, parts - including the Big Ben tower - were rededicated to St Stephen, just as they had been for almost a millennium.