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World

The eccentric genius behind Big Ben

31 December 2023

5:00 PM

31 December 2023

5:00 PM

One test of great architecture is whether it, and the city it stands in, can be recognised from its silhouette alone. There is Spavento’s campanile – or bell tower – in Venice by St Marco’s Basilica and Giotto’s by the Duomo in Florence. London has a campanile too, perhaps more recognisable than its Italian precedents.

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