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The London Eye, sometimes known as the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel located on London’s South Bank. With over 3 million people each year, it is Europe’s highest cantilevered observation wheel and the UK’s most popular paid tourist attraction. It’s made a lot of appearances in pop culture.

The wheel has a diameter of 120 meters and is 135 meters (443 feet) tall (394 ft). It was the world’s highest Ferris wheel when it debuted to the public in 2000. The 160 meter (525 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 165 meter (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008, and the 167 meter (548 ft) High Roller (Las Vegas) in 2014 all exceeded it in height. The Eye is billed by its operators as “the world’s highest cantilevered observation wheel,” as it is supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the higher Nanchang and Singapore wheels.

The London Eye used to be the city’s highest public viewing point until it was surpassed by The Shard’s 245-meter-high (804-foot) observation deck, which opened to the public on February 1, 2013.

On the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge alongside County Hall in the London Borough of Lambeth, the London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (formerly the location of the old Dome of Discovery). Westminster is the nearest tube station, which is 420 meters (1,378 feet) away.

In March 2020, the London Eye will commemorate its 20th anniversary by transforming many of its pods into London-themed experiences in collaboration with its sponsor lastminute.com. A bar in a capsule, a west end theatre pod, and a garden party with floral displays representing the eight London Royal parks were among the unique experiences.

The London Eye was designed by Julia Barfield and David Marks of Marks Barfield Architects, a husband-and-wife collaboration.

Hollandia was the major steelwork contractor, while Tilbury Douglas was the civil contractor. Mace was in charge of construction management. The foundation works were planned by Tony Gee & Partners, while the maritime works were designed by Beckett Rankine.

The Tussauds Group was aided by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners in gaining planning and listed building consent to modify the wall on the South Bank of the Thames. They also investigated and reported on the implications of a Section 106 agreement attached to the original contract, as well as planning and listed building consent applications for the attraction’s permanent retention, which included the coordination of an Environmental Statement and the production of a planning supporting statement outlining the reasons for the attraction’s retention.

The Eye’s rim, which resembles a massive spoked bicycle wheel, is supported by tensioned steel cables. In December 2006, the lighting was replaced with Color Kinetics LED lighting, which allowed for computer management of the lights rather than the laborious change of gels over fluorescent tubes.

The wheel was built in parts and sailed up the Thames on barges before being placed on piling platforms in the river. A strand jack mechanism produced by Enerpac was used to elevate the wheel into an upright position once it was finished. It was originally lifted at a rate of 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees, then left there for a week as engineers prepared for the second part of the operation. The project was European in scope, with major components coming from six countries: the steel came from the United Kingdom and was fabricated in the Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany (FAG/Schaeffler Group), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by Poma in France (with glass from Italy), and the electrical components came from the United Kingdom.

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