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London’s Giant Observation Wheel, the London Eye, at a height of 135 metres (443 ft), is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe. The London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The site is adjacent to that of the former Dome of Discovery, which was built for the Festival of Britain in 1951. At the time the London Eye was erected, in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until it was surpassed by the Star of Nanchang (160 m) in May 2006, and then the Singapore Flyer (165 m) on 11 February 2008. The wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned egg-shaped passenger capsules, attached to its external circumference. Each capsule represents one of the London Boroughs and holds 25 people. It rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph). Each rotation takes 30 minutes. The architects of the London Eye are husband and wife team, Julia Barfield and David Marks, winners of the competition for ideas to mark the Millennium. It was formally opened on 31 December 1999 by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, although it was not opened to the public until March 2000. The London Eye, operate by Merlin Entertainments is also known as the Millennium Wheel. Waterloo is the closest tube station. |
This image is available to buy in the following sizes
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10x30 cm (4x12 in) £16
21x63 cm (8x25 in) £28
33x99 cm (13x39 in) £46
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