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The London Eye
The British Airways London Eye, sometimes called the Millennium Wheel is the first-built and largest observation wheel in the world, and has been the only one since its opening at the end of 1999. It stands 135 metres high on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Designed by architects David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton and Nic Bailey, the wheel carries 32 sealed and air conditioned passenger capsules, one revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is so slow that passengers can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped on occasion to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to disembark safely. The wheel is not the first in London; a much smaller wheel used to stand opposite Earls Court station during the later part of the 19th century.
The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the River Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoons. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes, the total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes.
The Eye was opened by British Prime Minister Tony Blair 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 Tussauds Group but sponsored by British Airways, has become a major landmark and tourist attraction.
The Eye enjoyed a warmer reception than London's other significant Millennium project, the Dome, although the delay in opening had caused some press scepticism. By July 2002 around 8.5 million people had "flown" the Eye. It originally had planning permission only for five years, but at that time Lambeth Council agreed plans to make the attraction permanent.
Although the Eye is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest observation wheel in the world, it is unlikely to keep that title for long. Plans have been announced to build a 170m wheel on the Las Vegas Strip and a 200m wheel in Shanghai. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_London_Eye)
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