London Eye

From ArticleWorld

London Eye, a giant observation wheel located on the South Bank of the Thames River, was built as a part of London’s millennium celebrations. At 135 meters high and 1600 tons heavy, this is the world’s largest observation wheel. It stands proud in London’s Jubilee Gardens and was the central point of England’s celebrations to usher in the new millenium. It offers a 30-minute, slow-moving 'flight' over London. The central theme of the ride signifies the passage of time reflecting the elements of air, water and earth.

The idea

The idea of the millennium wheel was submitted by the husband-wife team of architects, David Marks and Julia Barfield. This was in response to a call inviting bids for designing a millennium monument/ structure floated by the British Government. None of the entrants won the competition but the couple did not give up hope and continued their efforts to have the idea accepted. They eventually persuaded British Airways to sponsor the project.

Design and construction

The observation wheel took more than a year and a half to build. The design required more than 3000 tons of concrete for the foundations. Each bubble (the observation chamber) that is attached to the wheel was brought from France through the Chunnel. The wheel itself gives the appearance of a bicycle wheel with 80 spokes, and has glass capsule like structures attached to its outer periphery. There are 32 of these capsules and each of these is capable of carrying up to 25 passengers.

The observation wheel moves reasonably slowly and passengers can climb on and climb off while the wheel is in motion. In fact it takes 30 minutes for the wheel to take a full circle and return to the ground. Since the capsules are made of glass, they allow the passengers a 360° view of London. This allows them to catch a glimpse of the City’s famous land marks, including the Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral and also the Houses of Parliament. On clear days it affords views of up to 40 kms.

Wheels within wheels

The wheel is owned jointly by British Airways, The Tussauds Group and the designers. In May 2005, the venture was involved in a controversy involving land ownership, land lease and rent. This was settled amicably between the involved parties and matters were prevented from coming to a head.