Big Ben Bell will remain silent for 4 years as repairs begin

Big Ben, the famous clock tower of Britain’s Parliament, will remain silent next week as a major restoration project gets underway.

The iconic bell’s bongs will be shut down on August 21 to protect workers during a four-year, £29 million ($38 million) conservation project, which includes repairs to the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and its clock in London.

Steve Jaggs, custodian of the Great Clock, said Monday that the mechanism would be dismantled piece by piece and its four dials would be cleaned and repaired.

Big Ben has been shut down several times since its first toll in 1859, but the ongoing restoration project will mark the longest period of silence for the bell.

It will still ring on special occasions, such as Remembrance Sunday.

The 96 meter high Elizabeth Tower is considered the most photographed building in the United Kingdom.