Big Ben Renovation With the restoration set to wrap up in 2021, this refurbishment will repair the façade and restore the clock hands and details to their original blue color. Heavy London smog in the early 1900s turned the clock details black, and in the 1980s it was painted black to avoid the discoloring effect.

Yes, it was recently confirmed and restored that the clock hands and numbers on Big Ben were originally Prussian blue. For most of the 20th century, the public was accustomed to seeing the clock faces painted black with gold trim. However, during the massive five-year conservation project that concluded in recent years, historians and paint experts at the University of Lincoln analyzed over 160 years of paint layers. They discovered that the original 1859 design by architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin featured a vibrant Prussian blue and gold color scheme. The black paint had been added in the 1930s, likely as a practical measure to hide the heavy soot and pollution from London's coal-heavy atmosphere at the time. As part of the restoration, the black paint was meticulously stripped away, and the clock was returned to its original Victorian brilliance. Today in 2026, the Elizabeth Tower stands with its dials shining in their authentic blue, red, and white palette, reflecting the colors of the Union Flag as the architects originally intended over a century and a half ago.