The London Eye, the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, on the South Bank of the River Thames.
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over million people annually. When erected in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. It is still described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel" (as the wheel is supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the Nanchang and Singapore wheels). The London Eye is located on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned ovoidal passenger capsules are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. Each capsule represents one of the London Boroughs, weighs 10 tonnes and holds 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at 26 cm per second (about km/h or mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to 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 rods and resembles a huge spoked bicycle wheel. The wheel was designed by architects Frank Anatole, Nic Bailey, Steven Chilton, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, and the husband-and-wife team of Julia Barfield and David Marks.
Size: 2875px × 4894px
Location: South bank Lambeth London UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: attraction, bank, edf, energy, eye, ferris, london, millenium, observation, river, south, thames, tourist, wheel
