Big Ben to to be renamed Elizabeth Tower?
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MPs are bidding for St Stephen's Tower, most famously known as Big Ben or The Clock Tower, to have its name changed in honour of the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee.
The senior MPs are calling on Parliament's authorities to thank the Queen for her 60 years of service by renaming the landmark Elizabeth Tower.
The idea, which came from Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, has already been backed by Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem politicians including Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
'I cannot think of a greater tribute for Parliament to bestow than to rename such an iconic landmark as the Clock Tower,' Mr Ellwood told The Sun.
Former Home Secretary Jack Straw said: 'I think it is a very fitting tribute to a monarch who has served the country so well.'
A similar tribute was made to Queen Victoria in 1860, when the Palace of Westminster's west tower had its name changed from The King's Tower to Victoria Tower in celebration of her long reign.
What do you think of Big Ben being renamed Elizabeth Tower after the Queen? Would you call it something else? Let us know below.
Check out our favourite leaning towers around the world, like Big Ben...
Leaning towers around the world
- De Oldehove, Holland<p> This medieval church in the city of Leeuwarden leans more than the famous tower of Pisa. While being constructed in 1529 the Gothic-style tower began to sag and the builders tried to compensate the tilting by inserting a few kinks. Oldehove was built using bricks and Betheim sandstone and the project ended in 1532. Its adjoining dilapidated church was later demolished but the tower remains. Today, you can climb to the top and see the views over Leeuwarden.</p>
- Caerphilly Castle, Wales<p> It's one of Europe's largest castles and has an impressive moat, but the biggest draw for visitors at Caerphilly Castle is its leaning south-east tower. The tower is 20 metres high and leans three metres out of the perpendicular. There's debate as to whether the tilting tower was damage caused by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary Army in 1648 or by subsidence.</p>
- Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy<p> The most famous of all the slanted buildings is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is the freestanding bell tower of Pisa's cathedral. It stands at 55.86 metres and leans at about 3.99 degrees. It tilts because it was built on unstable soil and began leaning when the first three floors were built. Construction continued despite this and the seven-story building was completed between 1360 and 1370. It leans more each year and has had work done to straighten it slightly without affecting its unique structure.</p>
- The Leaning Temple of Huma, India<p> This unique structure in Orissa is the only leaning temple in the world and is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It's unknown whether Huma leans due to design or default but the pinnacle of the temple is perpendicular to the ground even though the structure is angled. The main temple leans in one direction and its smaller temples in other directions. Flooding and an earthquake have been mentioned as to why it may lean.</p> <p> Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nitapratap/5074656532/" target="_blank">Nita Rane</a></p>
- Olympic Stadium, Canada<p> Standing at 175 metres high, the tower of Montreal's Olympic Stadium is the world's tallest inclined building. The stadium was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert who wanted a retractable roof, which would be opened and closed by a huge tower. The Olympic swimming pool is under the tower and today's Montreal Biodome sits at its base. The tower's observatory allows visitors to travel from the base to the top, providing panoramic views of Montreal.</p>
- Towers of Bologna, Italy<p> Bologna's Two Towers are a pair of medieval leaning structures that are the symbol of the Italian city. The taller tower is called Asinelli and the smaller, more leaning tower is called Garisenda. They're named after the families who are credited for their construction between 1109 and 1119. In the past Asinelli has been used for scientific experiments and as a sight post in World War II. Garisenda had to be lowered from its 60 metre height in the 14th century as it slanted too much and was dangerous.</p>
- Puerta de Europa, Spain<p> The Puerta de Europa towers in Madrid are twin office buildings that stand 115 metres tall with an inclination of 15 degrees. They were built in 1996 and became the first leaning skyscrapers in the world. Both towers have rooftop helicopter pads and are owned by Spanish bank Caja Madrid and property firm Realia.</p>
- Big Ben, England<p> The Houses of Parliament's famous clock tower is one of London and England's most prominent symbols and leans slightly to the north-west due to changes in the ground since it was constructed in 1858. It leans by around 220 millimetres and the tilting was discovered when Transport for London commissioned a report because of the Jubilee Line extension that passes under Parliament. One theory as to why it leans is that the London clay that it was built on is drying out and that in thousands of years from now it may become unstable.</p>
- Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi<p> The modern Capital Gate building in Abu Dhabi has a distinctive, futuristic design with an 18-degree lean. It was designed to ensure it looks different from every angle and holds the Guinness Record for World’s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower. The 35 storeys are filled with offices and the Hyatt Capital Gate hotel. Construction of the building began in 2007 and it is expected to open in 2012.</p>
- Leaning Tower of Suurhusen, Germany<p> The leaning steeple of the church in Suurhusen, northern Germany has a tilt angle of 5.07 - more than the leaning tower of Pisa. Construction of the building was completed in 1450 and historians say the medieval church's tower started to lean in the 19th century after water was drained from the marshy land. The tower was closed to the public in 1975 for restoration and didn't reopen until 1985.</p>
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