Big Ben sequential discovery puzzle

Winner: Jury Grand Prize IPP Design Competition 2015

This puzzle is part of the category of puzzles known as Progressive Move or sometimes called Sequential Discovery.

The puzzle is designed in such a way that each discovery you make entices you further into the puzzles, to discover the next sequence or level, getting steadily more difficult as you go.

The object of the puzzle is to ultimately find Big Ben (which is this case is actually quite small, otherwise the puzzle would be almost as big as the real Queen Elizabeth Tower). Along the way you will also find a representation of Queen Elizabeth’s crown; no jewels included though! To do this you are only allowed to use tools supplied in the puzzle. There are magnets and springs in the puzzle, but you do not need to hit this puzzle to release any locks.

Reassembling the locks in this puzzle and setting the 4 clock faces all back at 9 o’clock is part of the challenge. Its not necessarily just ‘reverse order’ making this part of the puzzle almost as challenging as disassembly. Instructions are included on the solution sheet for this step. But we do consider that using the solution sheet even for reassembly means you’ve given up!

The puzzle is made from Papua New Guinean Rosewood, Western Australian Jarrah and Queensland Silver Ash. There are tools inside the puzzle made from brass and some magnets are included. Size: 220mm high to the tip of the spire. 55mm x 55mm clock face to clock face.

For a recent review of this puzzle check PuzzleMad blog or google IPP Big Ben Puzzle.

An extra special thanks went to John for giving us the opportunity to create this very special puzzle. It was a very generous IPP Exchange Puzzle and there were many delighted puzzlers in London that’s for sure!