Westminster chimes
Grandfather clock tune
Westminster chimes are the distinctive four-note melody played by clock towers and grandfather clocks to mark quarter hours, most famously by Big Ben.
The full sequence plays at the hour, with shorter phrases at each quarter.
The tune has become so associated with formal timekeeping that doorbell chimes often imitate it: The grandfather clock struck noon with its Westminster chimes.
- clockDevice displaying time
- clock towerElevated public timepiece
- bellsStruck metal sound-makers
- Big BenLondon's celebrated tower clock
- grandfather clockTall freestanding pendulum timekeeper
tower · hourly · melody · quarter hour · quarter past · striking · pendulum · gong · carillon · bong · timepiece · London · mechanical · resonant · tolling · brass · tubular · harmonics