Big Ben is making a “comeback” this Christmas through Snapchat’s latest augmented reality (AR*) lens which lets users pose in front of the iconic London landmark although it is currently undergoing refurbishment work.

The building is covered in scaffolding for the four-year restoration program but Snapchat’s latest lens will show a fully restored Big Ben, with real-time bongs, when users hold up their smartphone to the clock tower.

For the next few months, the social app will show the current scaffolding virtually drop away from the structure, adding some festive cheer in the form of a snow globe and a “Happy Holidays!” banner.

The accurate time will be shown on the Great Clock’s face, with chimes every 15 minutes and on the hour.

Users need to be within 300 meters of Elizabeth Tower for the feature to work, with location permissions on their device enabled.

“We are thrilled to unwrap Big Ben for our Snapchat community in London,” said Eitan Pilipski, Snap vice president of camera platform.

“This holiday, we wanted to showcase the imaginative power of Snap’s AR experiences by deconstructing the scaffolding around Big Ben at least for a few special moments.”

The feature also works for selfies, adding a virtual Union Jack themed hat on the user’s head.(SD-Agencies)