Big Ben will ring in London new year

Housed in the Elizabeth Tower of the Palace of Westminster in central London, the bell has been mostly silent since August 2017 when major renovations began. The work on the clock face is only the first phase of the extensive restoration planned for the Palace of Westminster.

There are remaining works left for the 160-year-old clock tower to include the addition of a lift and several other plans like the re-glaze and repaint of the clock dials. The clock was successfully tested on Sunday in the run-up to New Year's Eve celebrations.

In the past two years, the bell has tolled only for important events, including Remembrance Day on 11 November this year.