How to build Big Ben in Minecraft

London's famous clock tower: a tall sandstone shaft with Gothic window bays, four big clock faces with gold rims, an open belfry and a dark green spire topped in gold.

Open the interactive 3D plan above to build it one layer at a time: every layer has a numbered top-down plan, a block list and full-screen step-by-step instructions you can tick off as you go. You can also download it for Litematica, WorldEdit or Minecraft Bedrock, or view it in your room in AR.

Materials list

BlockAmountStacks
Cut Sandstone65410 stacks + 14
Smooth Sandstone5628 stacks + 50
Chiseled Sandstone3535 stacks + 33
Dark Prismarine2884 stacks + 32
Stone Bricks2253 stacks + 33
Glass Pane2043 stacks + 12
Block of Gold751 stack + 11
White Concrete641 stack
Iron Bars63
Black Concrete20
Dark Oak Door1

Building tips

  1. The shaft repeats every five layers: a band of chiseled sandstone, then four layers of windows between the pilasters.
  2. Build one clock face, then copy it to the other three sides. The hands point to a little after twelve.
  3. Dark prismarine is the closest block to the green-black roof slate.

Step-by-step: all 69 layers

  1. Layer 1 Stone Bricks ×225
  2. Layer 2 Cut Sandstone ×121
  3. Layer 3 Cut Sandstone ×121
  4. Layer 4 Smooth Sandstone ×19, Cut Sandstone ×12, Dark Oak Door ×1
  5. Layer 5 Smooth Sandstone ×19, Cut Sandstone ×12
  6. Layer 6 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  7. Layer 7 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  8. Layer 8 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  9. Layer 9 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  10. Layer 10 Smooth Sandstone ×20, Cut Sandstone ×12
  11. Layer 11 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  12. Layer 12 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  13. Layer 13 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  14. Layer 14 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  15. Layer 15 Smooth Sandstone ×20, Cut Sandstone ×12
  16. Layer 16 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  17. Layer 17 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  18. Layer 18 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  19. Layer 19 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  20. Layer 20 Smooth Sandstone ×20, Cut Sandstone ×12
  21. Layer 21 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  22. Layer 22 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  23. Layer 23 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  24. Layer 24 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  25. Layer 25 Smooth Sandstone ×20, Cut Sandstone ×12
  26. Layer 26 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  27. Layer 27 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  28. Layer 28 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  29. Layer 29 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  30. Layer 30 Smooth Sandstone ×20, Cut Sandstone ×12
  31. Layer 31 Chiseled Sandstone ×32
  32. Layer 32 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  33. Layer 33 Cut Sandstone ×12, Glass Pane ×12, Smooth Sandstone ×8
  34. Layer 34 Chiseled Sandstone ×121
  35. Layer 35 Smooth Sandstone ×36, Cut Sandstone ×4
  36. Layer 36 Smooth Sandstone ×36, Block of Gold ×12, Cut Sandstone ×4
  37. Layer 37 Smooth Sandstone ×36, White Concrete ×12, Block of Gold ×8, Cut Sandstone ×4
  38. Layer 38 Smooth Sandstone ×36, White Concrete ×20, Block of Gold ×8, Cut Sandstone ×4
  39. Layer 39 Smooth Sandstone ×36, Black Concrete ×12, Block of Gold ×8, White Concrete ×8, Cut Sandstone ×4
  40. Layer 40 Smooth Sandstone ×36, White Concrete ×16, Block of Gold ×8, Black Concrete ×4, Cut Sandstone ×4
  41. Layer 41 Smooth Sandstone ×36, Block of Gold ×8, White Concrete ×8, Black Concrete ×4, Cut Sandstone ×4
  42. Layer 42 Smooth Sandstone ×36, Block of Gold ×12, Cut Sandstone ×4
  43. Layer 43 Chiseled Sandstone ×40
  44. Layer 44 Iron Bars ×20, Cut Sandstone ×16
  45. Layer 45 Iron Bars ×20, Cut Sandstone ×16, Block of Gold ×1
  46. Layer 46 Iron Bars ×20, Cut Sandstone ×16
  47. Layer 47 Cut Sandstone ×36
  48. Layer 48 Dark Prismarine ×81, Cut Sandstone ×4
  49. Layer 49 Dark Prismarine ×28, Block of Gold ×4, Cut Sandstone ×4
  50. Layer 50 Dark Prismarine ×24, Block of Gold ×4
  51. Layer 51 Dark Prismarine ×24
  52. Layer 52 Dark Prismarine ×24
  53. Layer 53 Dark Prismarine ×16
  54. Layer 54 Dark Prismarine ×16
  55. Layer 55 Dark Prismarine ×16
  56. Layer 56 Dark Prismarine ×16
  57. Layer 57 Dark Prismarine ×8
  58. Layer 58 Dark Prismarine ×8
  59. Layer 59 Dark Prismarine ×8
  60. Layer 60 Dark Prismarine ×8
  61. Layer 61 Dark Prismarine ×8
  62. Layer 62 Dark Prismarine ×1
  63. Layer 63 Dark Prismarine ×1
  64. Layer 64 Dark Prismarine ×1
  65. Layer 65 Block of Gold ×1
  66. Layer 66 Iron Bars ×1
  67. Layer 67 Iron Bars ×1
  68. Layer 68 Iron Bars ×1
  69. Layer 69 Block of Gold ×1

More famous landmarks