London Eye

London Eye
Map
General information
ClassificationObservation wheel
LocationWestern end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames, London, UK
Construction started1998
CompletedMarch 2000[1]
Height
Roof135 metres (443 ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectDavid Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steve Chilton and Nic Bailey

The London Eye is a large metal Ferris wheel. It is also known as the Millennium Wheel and is one of the largest observation wheels in the world. Since mid-January 2015 it has been known in branding as the Coca-Cola London Eye, after an agreement signed in September 2014. The London Eye is at the western end of Jubilee Garden, on the South Bank of the river Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge.

The Eye was opened in 2000. It is 135 metres (443 feet) high. At the time it was built, in 1999, it was the tallest giant wheel in the world, and at present it is Europe's tallest Ferris wheel.[2] It offered the highest public viewing point in London.[3] The 245-metre (804-foot) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard is now the highest public view of London.[4][5]

It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom: there are over 2.2 million visitors annually,[6] and the Eye has made many appearances in popular culture.

The London Eye was overtaken in height by the Star of Nanchang, which is 160 metres (520 feet) high. On 11 February 2008, the Singapore Flyer overtook the Star of Nanchang with 165 metres (541 feet). In 2018-19 a plan for a taller observation wheel named the Whey Aye was proposed for Newcastle upon Tyne.

References

  1. ↑ "London Eye - Marks Barfield". marksbarfield.com.
  2. ↑ Royal Mail Celebrates 10 Years of the London Eye
  3. ↑ d "Up you come, the view's amazing... first look from the Shard's public gallery". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 December 2014
  4. ↑ "Shard observation deck to be Europe's highest". Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Shard opens viewing deck to visitors". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "History of The London Eye". Retrieved 18 September 2012.

Other websites

Media related to London Eye at Wikimedia Commons