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Clock Tower (Big Ben): Health and safety information

Touring the Clock Tower involves climbing 334 small, spiral steps and there are no lifts – so, to get the most out of your visit, it’s essential that you feel confident in your health and fitness.

Visitors experiencing the following health problems should not attempt the tour:

  • heart conditions such as angina

  • asthma or other breathing difficulties

  • epilepsy

  • high blood pressure

  • back or leg problems, or recent injury that limits their mobility

The tour is not recommended for pregnant women, people who are afraid of heights or confined/enclosed spaces, or who are prone to vertigo (a type of dizziness). Visitors should wear flat shoes for safety and comfort.

We reserve the right for the Clock Tower guide to refuse access if they feel that a visitor's physical or mental well-being may endanger themselves or others. Visitors are required to follow the guide's instructions at all times while within the Tower and the parliamentary estate.

More on this subject
The Clock Tower (Big Ben): Facts and figures
History of the Clock Tower
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Related information

Take him to the Tower!

The Tower of London may be the most famous prison in London, but the Clock Tower also dabbled in incarceration.

Members of both Houses could be sent to the Clock Tower?s Prison Room for misbehaving during debates. Charles Bradlaugh MP was the last person to have a stay: in 1880 he refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria.

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