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I could've sworn I heard San Marco's music in Banbury yesterday (my friends also noticed). So much for bringing back the old England sountrack.

Its like how they play DarKastle music in Rhinefeld during HOS. So strange.
 
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The turnstiles are the dividing line for music essentially. They play various songs from around the park and others that represent each country from the parking lots to the turnstiles. Once you go from the turnstiles inward, that is when you should hear country specific music.

However, it sounds like it was probably a minor technical error with the fountain/GS area.
 
Joe said:
It was absolutely not intended to be a replica of Big Ben! That is simply a nickname that has been given to the clock over the years.

When BGW was built they put a great deal of consideration into absolute geographical and historical accuracy, with heavy attention to detail. Just like there is no Eiffel Tower in Aquitaine, there is no Big Ben in Banbury Cross.

Just looking at the two clocks should make it clear that they are not meant to be the same, especially considering how much pride BGW took in attention to detail.

So no, the clock tower in Banbury Cross was never constructed to be a replica of Big Ben. It seems most people automatically link English clock towers with Big Ben, and that sure is an easy nickname to give it. Really, though, it's not supposed to be a prop begging for a London theme. It's really a misunderstood, underlying, maybe even forgotten... reference to the Old Country.

I was reading this thread, and this comment struck me, so I started looking at the old maps to see when the clock began being referred to as Big Ben. It is labeled with the Big Ben name all the way back on the 1979 map. It's hard to believe that there was no intention for it to be a reference to Big Ben if they used that name for it officially in the first 5 years, during the time when they were being very loyal to the Old Country.
 
sufpadd said:
Joe said:
It was absolutely not intended to be a replica of Big Ben! That is simply a nickname that has been given to the clock over the years.

When BGW was built they put a great deal of consideration into absolute geographical and historical accuracy, with heavy attention to detail. Just like there is no Eiffel Tower in Aquitaine, there is no Big Ben in Banbury Cross.

Just looking at the two clocks should make it clear that they are not meant to be the same, especially considering how much pride BGW took in attention to detail.

So no, the clock tower in Banbury Cross was never constructed to be a replica of Big Ben. It seems most people automatically link English clock towers with Big Ben, and that sure is an easy nickname to give it. Really, though, it's not supposed to be a prop begging for a London theme. It's really a misunderstood, underlying, maybe even forgotten... reference to the Old Country.

I  was reading this thread, and this comment struck me, so I started looking at the old maps to see when the clock began being referred to as Big Ben. It is labeled with the Big Ben name all the way back on the 1979 map.  It's hard to believe that there was no intention for it to be a reference to Big Ben if they used that name for it officially in the first 5 years, during the time when they were being very loyal to the Old Country.

Well no doubt someone involved in construction could have coined the tower as Big Ben, but Banbury Cross isn't supposed to be "London." Much like France/Aquitaine isn't Paris. It's not a hamlet based upon a city, but the culture/history significance of the country as a whole. Much like Joe initially stated.
 
Big Ben:
Bigben.jpg


Banbury Cross clock tower:
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They look a bit different, don't they? For a park that once paid exquisite attention to detail, one would think they would have made their clock look more like the real thing, if that's what it was meant to be. Also, Banbury Cross takes place in a small 17th century village; Big Ben wasn't constructed until the 19th century in London.

The "Big Ben" label may have been a nickname for the clock tower, but I don't doubt my initial statement that Big Ben and the Banbury Cross clock tower are two separate entities in the slightest.
 
Joe said:
They look a bit different, don't they? For a park that once paid exquisite attention to detail, one would think they would have made their clock look more like the real thing, if that's what it was meant to be. Also, Banbury Cross takes place in a small 17th century village; Big Ben wasn't constructed until the 19th century in London.

The "Big Ben" label may have been a nickname for the clock tower, but I don't doubt my initial statement that Big Ben and the Banbury Cross clock tower are two separate entities in the slightest.

I absolutely agree they look incredibly different, and it was a mistake in my mind for the park to label it as Big Ben.

I do disagree with the rest of your statement. I don't consider it a nickname when it is used as the name on the park map. And they gave it that official name, on their official maps, during the time that you are referencing as when they paid exquisite attention to detail. This name was on the map during the 1970s and 1980s.
 
sufpadd said:
Joe said:
They look a bit different, don't they? For a park that once paid exquisite attention to detail, one would think they would have made their clock look more like the real thing, if that's what it was meant to be. Also, Banbury Cross takes place in a small 17th century village; Big Ben wasn't constructed until the 19th century in London.

The "Big Ben" label may have been a nickname for the clock tower, but I don't doubt my initial statement that Big Ben and the Banbury Cross clock tower are two separate entities in the slightest.

I absolutely agree they look incredibly different, and it was a mistake in my mind for the park to label it as Big Ben.  

I do disagree with the rest of your statement.  I don't consider it a nickname when it is used as the name on the park map.  And they gave it that official name, on their official maps, during the time that you are referencing as when they paid exquisite attention to detail.  This name was on the map during the 1970s and 1980s.
Keep in mind the maps are viewed by the GP, and it could have very well just be referenced as Big Ben to make it easier on the public.
 
I think this is more a matter of opinion as none of us were the ones who planned the park out. However, The Globe Theater was in London. While the village may be based on the real Banbury Cross I don't think it is too much of a far fetched theory that the clock may have some resemblance to the real Big Ben, just like how The Globe Theater has some resemblance to the actual Globe Theater.

I'm not arguing what it is or isn't. I'm just saying I can see how both sides have very valid points.
 
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This inspired me to look up Big Ben on Wikipedia, which apparently is not even its name!

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London,[1] and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.[2]

The tower is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower, renamed as such to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II (prior to being renamed in 2012 it was known as simply "Clock Tower").

I just find it funny that there is a small plain clock in BGW that is officially named Big Ben but looks nothing like the real one, which by the way isn't officially named Big Ben!
 
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