Britain's most famous clock tower is to fall silent so that urgent repair work can be carried out at a cost of pound;29m.
Parliament says it has no choice but to stop the chimes of Big Ben, after 157 years of nearly unbroken service, to prevent its mechanism from failing.
The Elizabeth Tower, which houses it, will also be repaired during the three year project, which starts next year.
The clock will not be stopped for the entire three year period, a spokesman told BBC News.
quot;The clock mechanism will need to be stopped for several months in order to carry out essential maintenance,quot; said the spokesman.
quot;During this period there will be no chimes. We are also investigating whether or not the chiming will have an effect on operatives working at high level, which will need to be taken into consideration. Striking and tolling will be maintained for important events.quot;
The Big Ben nickname originally referred to the 13.5 tonne Great Bell within the tower, but has long been the commonly used name for the clock and tower as a whole.