They cleaned the Big Ben clocktower and now its iconic hands are blue

• London's Big Ben clock tower got its original blue hour and minute hands back after cleaning.
• The ongoing restoration project, which began in 2017, is set to finish next year, Reuters said.
• The restoration to London's 177-year-old landmark is costing 80 million pounds, or $111 million.

London may be known for its gray skies, but the city just received a new splash of color.

The years-long restoration project on London's iconic "Big Ben" clock tower inched closer to competition with the return of its hour and minute hands, restored back to their original Persian blue color, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Big Ben's restoration to refurbish the stonework and repaint the ironwork began in 2017, and is set to finish next year. Restorers discovered while working on the £80-million ($111-million) project that London's 177-year-old famous landmark originally had blue-painted hands, not black ones.

The tower's bell has rarely chimed during the restoration and upon completion, Londoners can expect to hear that familiar sound again.

"While we are all longing for the sound of Big Ben marking the time, and for the scaffolding to be removed from the tower - I think we will all agree at the unveiling next year, our patience has been worth it," Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, told Reuters.