The London Eye

ADDRESS: Riverside Bldg, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd London SE1 7PB

TEL: 0871 781 3000

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The London Eye

No one can deny that one of the best ways to observe the magnificence of the London skyline is to get in a glass pod on the London Eye, a 135 metres high 'Ferris' wheel and witness this breathtaking view for yourself.

The giant wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London was also known as the Millennium Wheel when it first opened to the public on 31 December 1999.

15 Facts About The London Eye

• The London Eye is not the first large Ferris wheel in London. For an Empire of India exhibition, in 1895 the Great Wheel was built and then demolished in 1907, but only after being used by over two million people!
• The wheel does not have to stop for passengers to get on and off and it takes thirty minutes to go round once.
• Aside from the Shard, it is one of the tallest viewing platforms in the capital.
• The London Eye took seven years for its construction to be completed.
• The Eye consists of thirty-two capsules, representing London's thirty-two boroughs.
• The 32 capsules are numbered 1 - 33, with the number 13 being omitted.
• The capsules rotate slowly at 26cm per second.
• The capsules are air-conditioned with seating and each one weighs ten tonnes, carrying up to twenty-five passengers each, and the entire wheel carries up to 800 passengers in one revolution!
• The London Eye is 120 meters in diameter and 135 meters tall, making it one of London's tallest structures.
• The spindle of the wheel is 23 meters long and weighs more than 300 tonnes.
• When built in 1999, the London Eye was the world's tallest Ferris wheel.
• Attracting more tourists than the Pyramids or the Taj Mahal, about three and a half million people use the London Eye each year.
• The Eye is the centrepiece of the New Year's firework display in London and is often lit up in different colours to commemorate special occasions, such as the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton when it was illuminated with the colours of the Union flag.
• You can book your own private VIP capsule for a small mid-air party!
• The London Eye is not classed as a Ferris wheel, but rather it is known as a cantilevered observation wheel, as it has a long projected beam at one end, rather than a Ferris wheel which is supported by beams on both sides.