London Eye 30372 226131402 2008-07-16T23:22:32Z AmeIiorate 1318272 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Portland7|Portland7]] ([[User talk:Portland7|talk]]) to last version by Tj9991 {{Infobox Skyscraper |image=[[Image:London Eye Twilight April 2006.jpg|300px]] |building_name=The London Eye |location=Western end of [[Jubilee Gardens, South Bank|Jubilee Gardens]], on the South Bank of the [[River Thames]], [[London]], [[England]] |roof={{convert|135|m|ft|0}} |built=1999 |engineer= |architect=David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton and Nic Bailey |use=Observation wheel}} '''The London Eye''', also known as the '''Millennium Wheel''', is the tallest ({{convert|135|m|ft|0}}) [[Ferris wheel]] in [[Europe]], and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK, visited by over 3 million people a year.<ref>[http://www.londoneye.com/AboutEye.aspx Explore the London Eye<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> At the time it was erected it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until it was surpassed by the [[Star of Nanchang]] (160m) in May 2006, and then the [[Singapore Flyer]] (165m) on [[February 11]], [[2008]]. However, it is still described as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel" (because the entire structure is supported by an A-frame on one side only) by its operators.<ref>[http://londoneye.com/SiteImages/Assets/8/102.pdf Layout 1<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The London Eye is located at the western end of [[Jubilee Gardens, South Bank|Jubilee Gardens]], on the [[South Bank]] of the [[River Thames]] in [[London]], [[England]], 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. {{nearest tube|Waterloo|Westminster}} == Design and construction == {{imagestack |[[Image:london.eye.manycapsules.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|Each of the 32 capsules holds approximately 25 people.]] [[Image:LE Capsule.JPG|thumb|Eye Capsule at the top of the rotation]] [[Image:IMG 4919 London, England - London Eye.JPG|thumb|The Eye's bicycle wheel-like appearance]] }} Designed by [[architecture|architect]]s David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton and Nic Bailey, the wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. Each capsule holds approximately 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is also provided. It rotates at {{convert|26|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} per second (about 0.9 km/h (0.5mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers: the rotation rate is so slow that they can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely. The rim of the Eye is supported by [[tie rod]]s and resembles a huge spoked [[bicycle]] wheel, and was depicted as such in a poster advertising a charity cycle race. The lighting for the London Eye was redone with [[LED]] lighting from [[Color Kinetics]] in December 2006 to allow digital control of the lights as opposed to the manual replacement of gels over [[fluorescent]] tubes.<ref>[http://colorkinetics.com/showcase/installs/londoneye/ Color Kinetics Showcase London Eye<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Mace (company)|Mace]] were responsible for construction management with Hollandia as the main steelwork contractor and Tilbury Douglas as the civils contractor. Consulting engineers Tony Gee and Partners designed the foundation works while Beckett Rankine designed the marine works. The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into an upright position by a strand jack system, being lifted at 2 degrees an hour until it reached 65 degrees. It was left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift. The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes (1,870 short tons). The project was truly European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in The Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany, the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by Poma in France (and the glass for these came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK. (Mann, Thompson, Smits, 2001) == History == It was formally opened by the then [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], [[Tony Blair]], at 20:00 GMT on [[December 31]], [[1999]], although it was not opened to the public until March 2000 because of technical problems. Since its opening, the Eye, operated by [[Merlin Entertainments]] but sponsored by [[British Airways]], has become a major landmark and tourist attraction. By July 2002, roughly 8.5 million people had ridden the Eye. It had planning permission only for five years, but at that time Lambeth Council agreed to plans to make the attraction permanent. Since [[1 January]] [[2005]], the Eye has been the focal point of London's New Year celebrations, with 10-minute [[fireworks]] displays taking place involving fireworks fired from the wheel itself. In 2006 [[the Tussauds Group]] bought out the other two joint owners, British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (the lead architects). Following Merlin Entertainments purchase of the Tussauds Group in 2007, it now owns 100% of the Eye. British Airways continued its brand association, but from the beginning of 2008 the name 'British Airways' was dropped from the logo. During the bidding process of the 2012 Olympic Games, the London bid organisers announced the [[Olympic emblem]] would be attached to the Eye for the duration of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref> {{cite web | title = Stunning image of a London Games | url = http://www.london2012.com/news/archive/bid-phase/stunning-image-of-a-london-games.php when the wheel comes down you have to jump over a gap and 26 people have been seriously heart | accessdate = 2007-08-15 }}</ref> In August of 2007, it was announced that London Eye could be temporarily renamed "The McCartney Eye" after [[Sir Paul McCartney]] of [[the Beatles]]. The renaming would coincide with the release of a McCartney related DVD set titled "The McCartney Years".<ref> {{cite web | title = Paul McCartn-eye: PLANS TO RENAME LONDON EYE AFTER BEATLE MACCA | url = http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/3am/2007/08/15/paul-mccartn-eye-89520-19631759/ | accessdate = 2007-08-15 }}</ref> On [[5 June]] [[2008]] it was announced that 30 million had rode the London Eye since its opening in March 2000. ==Financial controversy == On [[May 20]], [[2005]], there were reports of a leaked letter showing that the [[South Bank Centre]] (SBC) — owners of part of the land on which the struts of the eye are located — had served a notice to quit on the attraction along with a demand for an increase in rent from £64,000 per year to £2.5 million, which the operators rejected as unaffordable.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4564115.stm BBC NEWS | England | London | London Eye given eviction notice<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On [[25 May]], [[2005]], London mayor [[Ken Livingstone]] vowed that the landmark would remain in London. He also pledged that if the row were not resolved he would use his powers to ask the [[London Development Agency]] to issue a compulsory purchase order.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4581033.stm BBC NEWS | England | London | Mayor's 'prat' jibe over Eye row<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The land in question is a small part of the [[Jubilee Gardens, South Bank|Jubilee Gardens]], which was given to the SBC for £1 when the [[Greater London Council]] was broken up. The South Bank Centre and the British Airways London Eye agreed a 25-year lease on [[February 8]], [[2006]], after a judicial review over the rent row. The lease agreement meant that the South Bank Centre, a publicly-funded charity, would receive at least £500,000 a year from the attraction, the status of which is secured for the foreseeable future. [[The Tussauds Group|Tussauds]] also announced the acquisition of the entire one-third interests of British Airways and the Marks Barfield family in the Eye, as well as the outstanding debt to BA. These agreements gave Tussauds 100% ownership of the Eye and resolved the debt from the Eye's construction loan from British Airways, which stood at more than £150 million by mid-2005 and had been increasing at 25% per annum.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/ba/story/0,13772,1640224,00.html BA sells stake in London Eye to Tussauds for £95m | Business | The Guardian<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Critical reception== [[Sir Richard Rogers]], winner of the 2007 [[Pritzker Architecture Prize]], wrote of the London Eye in a recent book about the project, {{cquote|The Eye has done for [[London]] what the [[Eiffel Tower]] did for [[Paris]], which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.<ref>Marks Barfield Architects. (2007)''Eye: The story behind the London Eye'' Black Dog Publishing, London UK</ref>}} Writing for [[The Guardian|G2]] in an article from August 2007, Steve Rose described the Eye as follows, {{cquote|The Eye... exists in a category of its own.... It essentially has to fulfil only one function, and what a brilliantly inessential function it is: to lift people up from the ground, take them round a giant loop in the sky, then put them back down where they started. That is all it needs to do, and thankfully, that is all it does.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/aug/30/uk.london London Eye, love at first sight, | Travel | guardian.co.uk<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>}} == Predecessor == A predecessor to the London Eye, called the "Great Wheel of London", was built in Earl's Court in 1895 and was capable of carrying 1,600 people. It closed in 1906, and was demolished in 1907.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070814172740/http://www.photolondon.org.uk/whole_gallery/gnmr_wheel.htm PhotoLondon: National Monuments Record<!-- Bot generated title -->] (archived [[Wayback Machine]] page)</ref> == Photo gallery == <gallery> Image:London_Eye_27.jpg|The London Eye Image:Eye Pod 1.jpg|Eye Pod Image:London-eye-westminster-night.jpg|The London Eye at night, viewed from Westminster bridge Image:InsidetheLondonEye.JPG|One of 32 sealed and air conditioned passenger capsules which altogether hold 800 people and 25 passengers per capsule Image:The London Eye.jpg|The Eye Image:Pods_17_2007.jpg|Cascading capsules Image:The London Eye At Dusk.jpg|The London Eye at dusk Image:London Eye Jan 2006.jpg|London Eye from Westminster Bridge with viewing distance 40 km/25 miles. Image:Eye from Thames2.jpg|The Eye from River Thames </gallery> == Capsule Sight Seeing == A photograph of passengers in the capsule is taken automatically as they approach the end of the flight. It takes around 30 minutes to complete its revolution with speed of 0.26 m/s/0.85 ft/s. ==See also== *[[Millennium Dome]] *[[Beetham Tower, London|Beetham Tower]] *[[Tall buildings in London]] ==Transport links== ===[[National Rail]]=== *[[Waterloo station]] ===[[London Underground]]=== *[[Embankment tube station]] (District, Circle, Bakerloo, Northern lines) *[[Westminster tube station]] (Jubilee, District, Circle lines) *[[Waterloo station]] (Waterloo & City, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern lines) Tower Hill tube station (Central line) ==="River Bus" services=== *[[Waterloo Millennium Pier|Waterloo Pier]] (Tate and Tower Visitor services) ===London Eye River Cruise=== The London Eye River Cruise (operated by [[Thames Clipper]]) operates a daily tourist service which provides a guided tour of the [[River Thames]] under licence from [[London River Services]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoneye.com/FlightsAndPrices/Flights/LondonEyeRiverCruise/Default.aspx |title=London Eye River Cruise |author=London Eye |accessdate=2008-03-27 }} </ref> ==References== {{reflist}} * A.P Mann, N.Thompson, M.Smits (2001)Proceedings of ICE: Civil Engineering 44, May 2001 Paper 2496, pages 60-72 ==External links== {{Commons|Category:London Eye|London Eye}} *[http://www.londoneye.com/ Official website] *[http://www.marksbarfield.com/ Architect's website] * {{Structurae|id=s0002407|title=London Eye}} *[http://london.360cities.net/fs.html?loc=locations/london-eye.p36 360 Panorama underneath the London Eye] *[http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7agJv_EHFgM&feature=related London Eye fantasy - Pod 33 soars along the Thames!] *[http://www.picture-newsletter.com/londoneye/ Pictures London Eye] *[http://www.earthinpictures.com/world/great_britain/london/london_eye.html London Eye information and photography] *[http://www.beckettrankine.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=89.html IStructE paper on the London Eye Pier] *[http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rejgLswdiD8&feature=user Dynamic Images of the London Eye] {{start box}} {{succession box|title=World's tallest [[Ferris Wheel]]|before=Changsha Ferris Wheel|after=[[Star of Nanchang]]|years=1999-2006}} {{end box}} {{coor title d|51.5033|N|0.1197|W|region:GB_type:Landmark}} {{DEFAULTSORT:London Eye, The}} [[Category:1999 architecture]] [[Category:Ferris wheels]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Lambeth]] [[Category:Landmarks]] [[Category:River Thames]] [[Category:Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium]] [[Category:Tall buildings and structures in London]] [[Category:Visitor attractions in London]] [[Category:London River Services]] [[Category:Transport operators in London]] [[ar:عين لندن]] [[ca:London Eye]] [[cs:Londýnské oko]] [[da:London Eye]] [[de:London Eye]] [[es:London Eye]] [[eo:Londona Okulo]] [[fa:چشم لندن]] [[fr:Millennium Wheel]] [[id:Mata London]] [[is:London Eye]] [[it:London Eye]] [[he:לונדון איי]] [[ka:ლონდონის თვალი]] [[lt:Londono akis]] [[hu:London Eye]] [[ml:ലണ്ടന്‍ ഐ]] [[nl:London Eye]] [[ja:ロンドン・アイ]] [[no:London Eye]] [[nn:London Eye]] [[pl:Oko Londynu]] [[pt:London Eye]] [[ru:Лондонский глаз]] [[simple:London Eye]] [[sk:London Eye]] [[sl:London Eye]] [[sr:Лондонско око]] [[fi:London Eye]] [[sv:The London Eye]] [[vi:London Eye]] [[zh:倫敦眼]]