Take a Trip to London: Whom You Know Kicks Off Coverage of EDF Energy London Eye, Highly Recommended by Whom You Know! A Must on Your Next London Visit.
Photo credit: George Johnson from The Official London Eye Facebook Page
One of the best attractions in London in our opinion is The London Eye, and Peachy Deegan has been on it several times although not recently, but we plan on going again the next time we are in London.
Since opening in March 2000, the EDF Energy London Eye has become an iconic landmark and a symbol of modern Britain. The London Eye is the UK’s most popular paid for visitor attraction.
A breathtaking feat of design and engineering, passengers in the London Eye's capsules can see up to 40 kilometres in all directions.
The London Eye is the vision of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. The wheel design was used as a metaphor for the end of the 20th century, and time turning into the new millennium.
Back in 2000, the London Eye was known as the Millennium Wheel. At that time, British Airways was the main sponsor, and up until November 2005 they were joint shareholders with Marks Barfield Architects and The Tussauds Group. British Airways also privately funded the London Eye project from the early stages of conception.
Today, the London Eye is operated by the London Eye Company Limited, a Merlin Entertainments Group Company.
The EDF Energy London Eye has won over 80 awards for national and international tourism, outstanding architectural quality and engineering achievement since opening in March 2000.
Highlights
2012
Group Travel Award: Best Attraction for Group Visits – Short Visit
2011
Most Iconic Development Award: London First
2010
London Development Agency Green500: Platinum Award
Visit London: Best Tourism Experience Bronze Award
2009
Group Travel Awards - Best Attraction for Group Visits: Short Visit
2008
British Travel Awards - Silver Award: Best Visitor Attraction
Coolbrands - third coolest attraction
Group Travel Organiser Awards - Best Attraction for Group Visits: Short Visit
Toptable.co.uk - Gold Award for Champagne Flights
2007
TripAdvisor.com - Best Attraction in Europe
Coach Tourism Awards - UK’s Attraction of the Year
2006
Visit London - 'Best Day out for Londoner's' People's Choice award
The British Travel Awards 2006 – Best attraction
Enjoy England awards - Best Tourism Experience
Platinum Access Award - Scope
2005
Best Art Direction for Advertising Communications Award
Visit London - 'Tour London' award
Visit London - 'Best Day out for Londoner's' People's Choice award
2004
The World Travel Awards - Word’s leading attraction
The Best Art Direction for Advertising Communications award 2004
2003
Visit Britain, Excellence in England - Tourism Website of the Year
Visit London – Tourism website of the year
The 2003 Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation
2002
London Tourism Awards - BBC London People's Choice Award
2001
Design and Architecture Design Awards - Most Outstanding Environmental
London Tourism Awards - BBC London People's Choice Award
Marketing Effectiveness Awards - New Product of the Year
Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards - Innovation
Travellers' Choice Awards - Best Millennium Attraction.
2000
Leisure Property Forum Awards - Best Innovative Concept
London Tourism Awards - BBC London People's Choice Award
The London Eye is also an Enjoy England Quality Assured Visitor Attraction.
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Interesting things you never knew about the London Eye
A TEAM EFFORT
It took seven years and the skills of hundreds of people from five countries to make the London Eye a reality
A VIEW FIT FOR A QUEEN
You can see around 40KM (25 miles) from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day
DING! DING!
The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION
Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. To put that figure into perspective, it's the same weight as 1,052,631 pound coins!
SLOWLY BUT SURELY
Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop
THE ONLY WAY IS UP
The circumference of the wheel is 424m (1.392ft) - meaning that if it were unravelled, it would be 1.75 times longer One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
TONNES OF FUN
The total weight of the wheel and capsules is 2,100 tonnes - or as much as 1,272 London black cabs!
UP, UP AND AWAY
The height of the London Eye is 135m (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other) making it the fourth tallest structure in London after the BT Tower, Tower 42 and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
BLAST OFF
The spindle holds the wheel structure and the hub rotates it around the spindle. At 23 metres tall, the spindle is around the size of a church spire and, together with the hub, weighs in at 330 tonnes: over 20 times heavier than Big Ben
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Making of the EDF Energy London Eye
Constructing the EDF Energy London Eye was a massive challenge. It’s the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world, rising high above the London skyline at 135 metres. It was a piece of daring innovation and revolutionary design which combined the best of British design, architecture and engineering with an exceptional team of experts.
Capsules
The London Eye passenger capsules incorporate an entirely new design form for an observation wheel. Instead of being suspended under the wheel they turn within circular mounting rings fixed to the outside of the main rim. The result is a stunning 360 degree panoramic view from the top of the wheel.
The London eye has 32 capsules, representing the 32 boroughs of London. Capsules have 360 degree views, a heating and cooling system and bench seating.
Cables
Any visitor to the London Eye can’t help but be amazed by the incredible six backstay cables holding the wheel in place. And then, when you look up you see the wheel cables stretching across the rim and the wheel. The wheel cables include 16 rim rotation cables, and 64 spoke cables, which are similar to bicycle spokes, holding the rim tight to the central spindle.
Foundation
The main foundation for the London Eye is situated underneath the A-frame legs; it required 2,200 tonnes of concrete and 44 concrete piles - each of which is 33 metres deep. The second foundation, the tension foundation holding the backstay cables behind the wheel, used 1,200 tonnes of concrete.
Spindle
At the centre of the London Eye is the vast hub and spindle. The main elements were manufactured in cast steel. The spindle itself was too large to cast as a single piece so instead was produced in eight smaller sections. Two further castings, in the form of great rings form the main structural element of the hub. The hub is a rolled steel tube forming the spacer that holds them apart. All the casting was carried out by Skoda Steel.
We look forward to telling you more after our next London visit!
