London Eye

London Eye is the most famous and popular tourist attraction in London. Standing at a height of 135 meters, it is the largest Ferris wheel in all of Europe and still one of the largest in the world. London Eye is located on the south bank of River Thames, between Westminster and Hungerford bridges. It provides a panoramic view of the city, allowing one to view over 55 of London’s most famous landmarks in a span of half an hour.

London Eye is also known as the Millennium Wheel. The wheel was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Britain on 31st December 1999. However, technical problems prevented the wheel from being open to the public till March 2000. Since January 2005, the Eye has also become the centre of London's New Year celebrations. On this day, each year, a ten minute firework display takes place to welcome the New Year. Though open to the public all year round, London Eye stays closed on Christmas day.

London Eye is one of the engineering marvels of the century. It was designed by the architectural team of David Marks and Julia Barfield. Requiring over 1700 tons of steel and more than 3000 tons of concrete, the structure took an year and a half to get completed. The 25 meter long spindle was built in the Czech Republic. The rim has a diameter of 122m and is connected with the spindle by 80 spokes. The wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned egg-shaped passenger capsules. These capsules were transported from France. Weighing ten tons, each capsule is eight meters long and weighs 500kg. Each capsule can carry 25 people. The rotation speed of the wheel is ten inches per second. This speed is so slow that the wheel does not need to stop for people to enter or leave its capsules. People simply walk in or out of the moving capsules at the ground level. However, the wheel is sometimes stopped for the safety, comfort and convenience of the disabled and the elderly. The lighting for the structure was changed to LED lighting in 2006.

Since its opening at the beginning of the century, London eye has become the most visited tourist attraction of London. Over 3.5 million people visit the London Eye each year and by June 2008, over 30 million had ridden the Eye. Not only has the London Eye become an iconic symbol for London, it has augmented the spirit of unity and strengthened the sense of national pride.

Linus Orakles
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