London: As far as facelifts go, this must be one of the most expensive. By the time the covers eventually come off, Britain's home of democracy will have been rebuilt at a cost more than four times the $2.35 billion replacement value of Parliament House in Canberra.

The race to save Big Ben and the crumbling Palace of Westminster kicked off when the most photographed building in Britain was covered in scaffolding and fell silent. Two years on, London was treated to a familiar tone when the 13.7 tonne bell rang out for a New Year's Eve test run - one of the few times it has sounded since 2017.

"I have missed it," said Jillian Maher, who visited Westminster to hear the test. "Big Ben is the sound of London."

It will ring at 4pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm and midnight on New Year's Eve and is likely to toll again on January 31 to mark Britain's formal departure from the European Union; a symbolic sound to bring together a divided nation.