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The London Eye is, as of December 2003, the largest observation wheel in the world (though often erroneously called a Ferris wheel). It stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens , on the South Bank of the River Thames in Lambeth, London, England, north of Westminster Bridge. It stands opposite the Houses of Parliament.
Designed by architects David Marks and Julia Barfield , the wheel carries 32 sealed, air conditioned, passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. It rotates slowly (at a rate of about 1.6 km/h or 1 mph) so that a complete revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers; its rotation is so slow that passengers can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped on occasion to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to alight safely. Structurally the Eye resembles a huge spoked bicycle wheel, and was depicted as such in a poster advertising a charity cycle race. The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the river Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoonA pontoon is a buoyant device, either of solid lightweight material or constructed as a watertight chamber, used to support objects above or below water. Pontoons may be simply constructed from closed cylinders such as pipes or barrels or fabricated as bos. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes. The wheel was initially lifted at a rate of about 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees, where it stayed for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift.
The Eye, sometimes called the Millennium Wheel, was opened by BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly Prime MinisterAlternate meaning: Prime Minister (band #A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively #A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or sem Tony BlairThe Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953) has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 1997, when he brought the Labour Party into power after 18 consecutive years of Conservative government. After becoming the on December 31December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, as the final day of the Gregorian year. Events 406 Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia 1600 British East India Company is ch, 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep, although it was not actually opened to the public until MarchFor alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. Named for Mars, the Roman god of war. In ancient Rome, March was called Martius. It was named after the war god ( Mars) and 2000This page is about the year 2000. See 2000 AD for the UK comic book, Number 2000 for other uses. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar), and also the International Year for a Culture of Peace''. Events Y2K passes without the seri because of technical problems. Since its opening, the Eye, operated by Tussauds Group but sponsored by British Airways, has become a major landmark and tourist attraction.
The Eye enjoyed a warmer reception from the British public upon its opening than London's other significant Millennium project, the Dome, although the delay in opening had caused some press scepticism. By July 2002 around 8.5 million people had 'flown' the eye. It originally had planning permission only for five years, but at that time Lambeth Council agreed plans to make the attraction permanent.
Although the Eye is currently listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest observation wheel in the world, it is unlikely to keep that title for long. Plans have been announced to build a 170m wheel on the Las Vegas Strip and a 200m wheel in Shanghai. (By comparison, the original 1893 Ferris wheel was 75m high).
Ownership of the Eye is divided between British Airways with 33 percent, the Tussauds Group and its creators.
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