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London Eye

London Eye
Map
Alternative namesMillennium Wheel
General information
StatusOperating
TypeObservation wheel
LocationLambeth, London
AddressRiverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road
Coordinates51°30′12″N 0°07′10″W / 51.5033°N 0.1194°W / 51.5033; -0.1194
CompletedMarch 2000[1]
Opened
  • 31 December 1999 (ceremonial, without passengers)[2]
  • 1 February 2000 (first passengers carried)[3]
  • 9 March 2000 (opened to general public)[2]
Cost£70 million[7]
OwnerMerlin Entertainments[6]
Height135 metres (443 ft)[8]
Dimensions
Diameter120 metres (394 ft)[8]
Design and construction
Architect(s)
Architecture firmMarks Barfield[9] [1]
Structural engineerArup[10]
Other designers
Awards and prizesInstitution of Structural Engineers Special Award 2001[13]
Other information
Public transit accessLondon Underground National Rail Waterloo
London Underground Westminster
Website
londoneye.com

The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel,[14] and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually.[15] It has been featured numerous times in popular culture.

The structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the 160 metres (525 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 165 metres (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008, the 167 metres (548 ft) High Roller (Las Vegas) in 2014, and the 250 metres (820 ft) Ain Dubai in 2021. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike these taller examples, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".[16] The Eye offered the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 245-metre-high (804 ft) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard in early 2013.[17][18][19]

The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge beside County Hall, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The nearest tube station is Waterloo.[20]

  1. ^ a b "London Eye". Marks Barfield. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "London's big wheel birthday". CNN. 8 March 2001.
  3. ^ Wells, Matt (2 February 2020). "London Eye begins its millennium revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  4. ^ "The London Eye". UK Attractions.com. 31 December 1999. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  5. ^ "The London Eye". Architect Magazine. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Midway Attractions". Merlin Entertainments. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  7. ^ Reece, Damian (6 May 2001). "London Eye is turning at a loss". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Structurae London Eye Millennium Wheel". web page. Nicolas Janberg ICS. 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  9. ^ "About the London Eye". Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
  10. ^ "How big can Ferris wheels get?". Thoughts.arup.com. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  11. ^ Taylor, David (1 March 2001). "ISE rewards the biggest and best". The Architects' Journal.
  12. ^ "London Eye, UK".
  13. ^ "Winners and Commendations" (PDF). Institution of Structural Engineers. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  14. ^ Royal Mail Celebrates 10 Years of the London Eye Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "The London Eye a complete visitor guide". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  16. ^ "Merlin Entertainments Group". Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Up you come, the view's amazing... first look from the Shard's public gallery". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 December 2014
  18. ^ "Shard observation deck to be Europe's highest". 20 May 2009.
  19. ^ "Shard rakes in £5million from visitors to viewing platform in first year". London Evening Standard. 21 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Location and Directions". londoneye.com. Retrieved 22 August 2022.

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