View source for London Eye

{{short description|Observation wheel in London, England}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = London Eye
| former_names        = Millennium Wheel
| alternate_names     = 
| logo                = London Eye logo.png
| logo_size           = 225
| image               = London-Eye-2009.JPG
| image_size          = 250
| caption             = The London Eye in 2009
| status              = Operating
| location            = [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth, London]]
| address             = Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road
| coordinates         = {{coord|51.5033|N|0.1194|W|display=inline,title|region:GB_type:landmark}}
| construction_start_date = 
| completion_date     = March 2000<!-- Infobox Reference 9 --><ref name="marksstudy">{{Cite web |title=London Eye |url=https://marksbarfield.com/projects/london-eye/ |access-date=30 July 2020 |website=Marks Barfield}}</ref>
| opened_date         = {{unbulleted list
|31 December 1999 (ceremonial, without passengers)<!-- Infobox Reference 1 --><ref name=cnnbirthday>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/UK/03/08/millennium.wheel/ |last=Castro |first=Miguel |agency=Reuters |title=London's big wheel birthday |date=8 March 2001 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref>
|1 February 2000 (first passengers carried)<!-- Infobox Reference 2 --><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Matt |date=2 February 2000 |title=London Eye begins its millennium revolution |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/feb/02/millennium.uk |access-date=30 July 2020 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
|9 March 2000 (opened to general public)<ref name=cnnbirthday />
}}
| architect           = {{unbulleted list
| [[David Marks (architect)|David Marks]]
| [[Julia Barfield]]
| Frank Anatole
| Joanna Bailey
| Nic Bailey
| Margarita Bowman
| Loren Butt
| Steve Chilton
| Malcom Cook
| Mark Sparrowhawk<ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye" />}}
| owner               = [[Merlin Entertainments]]<!-- Infobox Reference 5 --><ref>{{Cite web |title=Merlin Entertainments: Gateway Attractions |url=https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/our-brands/gateway-attractions/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |publisher=[[Merlin Entertainments]]}}</ref>
| cost                = £70&nbsp;million<!-- Infobox Reference 6 --><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2717120/London-Eye-is-turning-at-a-loss.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2717120/London-Eye-is-turning-at-a-loss.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Damian |last=Reece |title=London Eye is turning at a loss |date=6 May 2001}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| public_transit      = {{rint|london|underground}} {{rint|gb|rail}} [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo]]<br/>{{rint|london|underground}} [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]]
| website             = {{URL|https://www.londoneye.com/|londoneye.com}}
| building_type       = [[Observation wheel]]
| mapframe-marker     = amusement-park
| height              = {{Convert|135|m|ft|0}}<!-- Infobox Reference 7 --><ref name=structurae>{{Structurae |accessdate=10 February 2026 }}</ref>
| architecture_firm   = [[Marks Barfield]]<ref name="ISEAward" />
| diameter            = {{Convert|120|m|ft|0}}<ref name=structurae/>
| structural_engineer = [[Arup Group|Arup]]<!-- Infobox Reference 10 --><ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye" />
| other_designers     = {{unbulleted list
|[[Babtie, Shaw and Morton|Babtie Allott & Lomax]] (checking engineer)<!-- Infobox Reference 11 --><ref name="ISEAward">{{cite news |title=ISE rewards the biggest and best |date=1 March 2001 |first=David |last=Taylor |journal=[[Architects' Journal]] |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/ise-rewards-the-biggest-and-best/179716.article}}</ref>
|Tony Gee (foundations)<!-- Infobox Reference 12 --><ref>{{cite web |title=London Eye |url=https://www.tonygee.com/our-work/london-eye |website=Tony Gee}}</ref>}}
| awards              = [[Institution of Structural Engineers]] Special Award 2001<ref name="ISEAward" />
}}
The '''London Eye''', originally the '''Millennium Wheel''', is a [[cantilever]]ed [[observation wheel]] on the [[South Bank]] of the [[River Thames]] in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 March 2025 |title=London Eye, pioneering observation wheel, turns 25 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-eye-pioneering-observation-wheel-turns-25-2025-03-06/ |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=[[Reuters]]|last=Halliwell|first=Francesca|last2=Russell|first2=Will}}</ref> and the most popular paid [[Tourist attractions in the United Kingdom|tourist attraction in the United Kingdom]] with more than three million visitors annually.<ref name="history">{{cite news |last=O'Ceallaigh |first=John |date=1 May 2014 |title=The London Eye a complete visitor guide |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/10801520/London-Eye-complete-visitor-guide.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501234411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/10801520/London-Eye-complete-visitor-guide.html |archive-date=1 May 2014 |access-date=1 May 2014 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> It has been featured numerous times in popular culture.
 
The structure is {{Convert|135|m|ft|0}} tall and the wheel has a diameter of {{Convert|120|m|ft|0}}. When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the [[world's tallest Ferris wheel]], until the {{Convert|160|m|ft|0|adj=on}} [[Star of Nanchang]] in China surpassed it in 2006. Unlike taller wheels, the Eye is cantilevered and supported solely by an [[A-frame]] on one side. The Eye was the highest public viewing point in London until 2013, when it was surpassed by the {{Convert|245|m|ft|0|abbr=|adj=on}} [[The View from The Shard|View from The Shard]] [[observation deck]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 October 2012 |title=Up you come, the view's amazing... first look from the Shard's public |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/up-you-come-the-views-amazing-first-look-from-the-shards-public-gallery-8227858.html |access-date=10 February 2026 |website=[[Evening Standard]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Whitten |first=Nick |date=20 May 2009 |title=Shard observation deck to be Europe's highest |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/sectors/shard-observation-deck-to-be-europes-highest-20-05-2009/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[Construction News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=21 March 2014 |title=Shard rakes in £5million from visitors to viewing platform in first year |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/shard-rakes-in-5million-from-visitors-to-viewing-platform-in-first-year-9206970.html |work=[[Evening Standard]]}}</ref>

The London Eye adjoins the western end of [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]] (previously the site of the former [[Dome of Discovery]]), on the South Bank of the River Thames between [[Westminster Bridge]] and [[Hungerford Bridge]] beside [[County Hall, London|County Hall]], in the [[London Borough of Lambeth]]. The nearest [[London Underground|tube]] station is [[Waterloo tube station|Waterloo]].<ref name=":9">{{cite web |title=Directions to the London Eye |url=https://www.londoneye.com/plan-your-visit/before-you-visit/directions/ |access-date=10 February 2026 |work=[[London Eye]]}}</ref>

==History==

===Conception===
The London Eye was conceived by architects [[David Marks (architect)|David Marks]] and [[Julia Barfield]], a husband-and-wife team who met in 1972 while studying at the [[Architectural Association School of Architecture|Architectural Association]] and living in [[Squatting in England and Wales|squats]] in [[Stockwell]], south London.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=10 October 2017 |title=Obiturary: David Marks |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/david-marks-obituary-lcdhfrsbj |access-date=28 October 2025 |website=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> After graduating, Barfield joined [[Norman Foster]], contributing to projects such as the [[Royal Academy of Arts|Royal Academy]]’s Sackler Galleries and [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted Airport]], while Marks worked for [[Richard Rogers]] on the [[Lloyd's building|Lloyd’s Building]] and the [[Inmos microprocessor factory]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=26 October 2015 |title=Blue sky thinkers |url=https://www.ribaj.com/culture/blue-sky-thinkers |access-date=28 October 2025 |website=[[RIBA Journal]] |language=en}}</ref> Both firms were leading exponents of [[high-tech architecture]], noted for their innovative [[structural engineering]] and use of modern materials. The couple founded their own practice, [[Marks Barfield|Marks Barfield Architects]], in 1989 following the birth of their first child, seeking a better [[work–life balance]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Mark |first=Laura |date=8 February 2017 |title=Julia Barfield: ‘A lot of architects have the ideas but they don’t take them forward’ |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/julia-barfield-a-lot-of-architects-have-the-ideas-but-they-dont-take-them-forward |access-date=28 October 2025 |website=[[Architects' Journal]] |language=en}}</ref>

During the [[early 1990s recession]], the firm struggled and took on small commissions such as kitchen extensions and brochure design.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Caroline |date=20 August 2016 |title=Relative Values: The London Eye architects David Marks and Julia Barfield |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/relative-values-the-london-eye-architects-david-marks-and-julia-barfield-gx25k9ljk |access-date=28 October 2025 |website=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> In 1993, Marks and Barfield entered a competition organised by [[The Sunday Times|''The Sunday Times'']] and the [[Architecture Foundation]] to design a landmark to commemorate the beginning of the [[third millennium]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Barfield |first=Julia |date=6 March 2025 |title=I designed the London Eye — but this sharp-eyed journalist made it happen |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/london-eye-anniversary-twenty-five-years-julia-barfield-b1215167.html |access-date=28 October 2025 |website=[[Evening Standard]] |language=en|author-link=Julia Barfield}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 October 1993 |title=Time to make your mark; Millennium Countdown |access-date= |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |pages=7 |id={{Gale|A116987778}}}}</ref> As entries were to be published in the newspaper, they saw it as a valuable opportunity for publicity.<ref name=":4" />

Inspired by views of the [[BT Tower]] and the [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace transmitter]] on his daily commute, Marks conceived the idea of giving the public access to elevated views of London.<ref name=":7" /> The pair realised that a wheel could “get people up high easily, efficiently and effortlessly” while avoiding comparisons with the [[Eiffel Tower]].<ref name=":4" /> Barfield suggested the South Bank for its central location and historic significance as the site of the [[Festival of Britain]] fifty years earlier.<ref name=":4" /> Together with structural engineer [[Jane Wernick]] of [[Arup Group|Arup]], with whom they had previously collaborated, they submitted a concept for a {{Convert|500|ft|m|0|adj=on}} wheel on the banks of the River Thames.<ref name=":7" />

The competition ultimately concluded without a winner, after the "disappointed" judges—Foster, [[Ricky Burdett|Richard Burdett]], [[Andrew Neil]], [[Hugh Pearman (architecture critic)|Hugh Pearman]], and [[Valerie Singleton]]—deemed none of the proposals sufficiently imaginative.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pearman |first=Hugh |author-link=Hugh Pearman (architecture critic) |date=1 May 1994 |title=Built to last; Norman Foster |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |pages=20 |id={{Gale|A116972511}}}}</ref> "We were narked. We had a great idea and no one was going to see it,” Marks later recalled.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abbott |first=Kate |last2= |first2= |date=10 February 2015 |title=Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield: how we made the London Eye |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/feb/10/how-we-made-the-london-eye-architects-david-marks-julia-barfield |access-date=28 October 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Undeterred and encouraged by friends, the architects remortgaged their home and applied to [[Lambeth London Borough Council|Lambeth Council]] for [[outline planning permission]].<ref name=":4" />

In the summer of 1994, ''[[Evening Standard]]'' editor [[Stewart Steven]] and correspondent Mira Bar-Hillel launched a "Back The Wheel" campaign which attracted public support.<ref name=":7" /> In December that year, the project secured a major backer when [[Robert Ayling|Bob Ayling]], chief executive of [[British Airways]] and a neighbour of Marks and Barfield, persuaded the airline to invest £600,000 in [[Seed money|seed funding]].<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

This investment enabled Marks Barfield to commission Arup to produce detailed engineering plans and to consult statutory bodies and local community groups.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":4" /> [[Planning permission in the United Kingdom|Planning permission]] for the Millennium Wheel was granted in 1996.<ref name=":4" /> After British banks declined to finance the project, funding was ultimately secured from the German bank [[Westdeutsche Landesbank]] and the Japanese conglomerate [[Sumitomo Corporation]].<ref name=":7" />

===Design and construction===
[[File:Ojo de Londres, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-07, DD 028.JPG|thumb|180px|left|Supported by an [[A-frame]] on one side only, the Eye is described by its operators as a [[cantilever]]ed observation wheel.]]
The rim of the Eye is supported by tensioned steel cables<ref name="making">{{cite web |title=Making of The London Eye |url=http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/MakingTheLondonEye/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521173640/http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/MakingTheLondonEye/Default.aspx |archive-date=21 May 2014 |access-date=21 May 2014 |publisher=London Eye}}</ref> and resembles a huge spoked [[bicycle wheel]]. The lighting was re-done with [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] lighting from [[Color Kinetics]] in December 2006 to allow digital control of the lights as opposed to the manual replacement of [[color gel|gels]] over fluorescent tubes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorkinetics.com/global/showcase/londoneye |title=London Eye |publisher=Color Kinetics |access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref>

[[Mace (construction company)|Mace]] was responsible for construction management, with {{Interlanguage link|Hollandia (steel company)|lt=Hollandia|nl|Hollandia (staalbedrijf)}} as the main steelwork contractor and [[Tilbury Douglas]] as the civil contractor. Consulting engineers Tony Gee & Partners designed the foundation works while Beckett Rankine designed the marine works.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London Eye Pier Design |url=https://beckettrankine.com/PS/10039/9730_London_Eye_Pier_Design.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616075448/http://www.beckettrankine.com/PS/10039/9730_London_Eye_Pier_Design.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2013 |website=Beckett Rankine}}</ref>[[File:Hub of the Eye - geograph.org.uk - 1409599.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The spindle, hub, and tensioned cables that support the rim]]
The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was lifted into an upright position by a [[strand jack]] system made by [[Enerpac]].<ref>[http://www.enerpac.com/en-us/integrated-solutions-imperial/london-eye Enerpac strand jacks lift London Eye] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627002852/http://www.enerpac.com/en-us/projects/markets/buildings-and-stadiums-0/london-eye |date=27 June 2015 }}. Enerpac.com. Retrieved 6 February 2012.</ref> It was first raised at 2&nbsp;degrees per hour until it reached 65&nbsp;degrees, then left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift.

The project was European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in the Netherlands by Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany ([[Schaeffler Group|FAG/Schaeffler Group]]), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by [[Poma]] in France (and the glass for these came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1680/cien.2001.144.2.60 |title=Building the British Airways London Eye |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering |volume=144 |issue=2 |pages=60–72 |year=2001 |last2=Thompson |first2=N. |last1=Mann |first1=A. P. |last3=Smits |first3=M.}}</ref>

===Opening===
The London Eye was formally opened by the Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] on 31 December 1999, but did not open to the paying public until 9 March 2000 because of a capsule clutch problem.<ref name=cnnbirthday/>

The London Eye was originally intended as a temporary attraction, with a five-year lease. In December 2001, operators submitted an application to [[Lambeth London Borough Council|Lambeth Council]] to give the London Eye permanent status, and the application was granted in July 2002.<ref name='Londonist 2017'>{{cite news |url=https://londonist.com/london/history/london-eye-trivia |publisher=[[Londonist]] |title=11 Fun Facts About The London Eye |last=Craig |first=Zoe |date=17 January 2017 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="BBC 2001">{{cite news |date=10 December 2001 |title=London Eye aims to go permanent |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1701602.stm |access-date=10 October 2018 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="BBC 2002">{{cite news |date=16 July 2002 |title=London Eye 'to stay' |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2132042.stm |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

===Southbank Centre dispute===
In May 2005, there were reports of a leaked letter showing that the [[Southbank Centre]] (SBC)—owners of part of the land on which the struts of the Eye are located—had served a notice to quit on the attraction along with a demand for an increase in rent from £65,000<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=27 October 2005 |title=London Eye loses rent challenge |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/advice/london-eye-loses-rent-challenge-qkpnfpprkv7 |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> per year to £2.5&nbsp;million{{Failed verification|date=April 2025}}, which the operator rejected as unaffordable.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |date=20 May 2005 |title=London Eye given eviction notice |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4564115.stm |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

Mayor [[Ken Livingstone]] pledged that if the dispute was not resolved he would ask the [[London Development Agency]] to issue a [[compulsory purchase order]].<ref>{{cite news |date=25 May 2005 |title=Mayor's 'prat' jibe over Eye row |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4581033.stm |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> The land in question is a small part of the [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]], which was given to the SBC for £1 when the [[Greater London Council]] was broken up.<ref name=":2" />

In February 2006, after a request for [[Judicial review in English law|judicial review]] was refused,<ref name=":1" /> a new 25-year lease was agreed under which the SBC would receive a percentage of the London Eye's turnover, with a minimum of £500,000 per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=13 February 2006 |title=Marks Barfield sell stake in the London Eye |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/marks-barfield-sell-stake-in-the-london-eye/3062693.article |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[Building (magazine)|Building]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Change of ownership===
Architects [[Marks Barfield]], the Tussauds Group, and [[British Airways]] were the original owners of the London Eye.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=27 March 2006 |title=Towering ambition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/mar/27/architecture.communities |access-date=16 January 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Tussauds announced the acquisition of British Airways' share in 2005, then Marks Barfield's in 2006.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=6 March 2007 |title=Blackstone to buy Tussauds' parent |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-06-fi-wax6-story.html |access-date=16 January 2017 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |issn=0458-3035 |agency=Reuters}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The purchase gave Tussauds sole ownership and resolved debt owed to British Airways for construction costs, which stood at more than £175&nbsp;million and had been charged at an interest rate of 25% per annum.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marriner |first=Cosima |date=11 November 2005 |title=BA sells stake in London Eye to Tussauds for £95m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/ba/story/0,13772,1640224,00.html |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Tussauds was later merged with [[Merlin Entertainments]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Quinn |first=James |date=18 July 2007 |title=Merlin conjures up leaseback deal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2812377/Merlin-conjures-up-leaseback-deal.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2812377/Merlin-conjures-up-leaseback-deal.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cho |first=David |date=6 March 2007 |title=Blackstone Buys Madame Tussauds Chain |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501369.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> 

===Continued operations===
In 2009, a [[4D film|4D cinema]] was added to the attraction.<ref name="4D Experience">{{cite web |title=A new eye on London |url=http://www.londoneye.com/NewsAndEvents/News/New_Eye_London/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817013811/http://www.londoneye.com/NewsAndEvents/News/New_Eye_London/default.aspx |archive-date=17 August 2009 |publisher=London Eye }}</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the attraction has carried more than 85 million passengers.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=6 March 2025 |title=London Eye at 25: The wheel that nearly wasn't |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62x8x8r49eo |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Passenger capsules==
{{Multiple image
| image1 = Eye Pod 1.jpg
| image2 = InsidetheLondonEye.JPG
| width2 = 112
| footer = Each of the 32 ovoidal capsules weighs 10&nbsp;tonnes and can carry 25 people.
}}
The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned [[Oval|ovoidal]] passenger capsules, designed<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashby |first=Charles |date=16 November 2011 |title=High-flying deal for Leitner-Poma |url=https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/high-flying-deal-for-leitner-poma/article_c060005a-d561-5754-871a-253899f5054a.html |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado)]] |language=en}}</ref> and supplied<ref>{{Cite web |last=Migoya |first=David |date=15 November 2011 |title=Colorado's Leitner-Poma to build cabins for huge observation wheel in Las Vegas |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2011/11/15/colorados-leitner-poma-to-build-cabins-for-huge-observation-wheel-in-las-vegas/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[The Denver Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref> by [[Poma]], are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. The capsules are numbered from 1 to 33, excluding number 13 for [[triskaidekaphobia|superstitious reasons]].<ref>{{cite news |date=9 March 2015 |title=The London Eye in numbers |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/central/south-bank/articles/The-London-Eye-in-numbers/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/central/south-bank/articles/The-London-Eye-in-numbers/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> Each of the {{Convert|10|t|ST|adj=on}}<ref name=facts>{{cite web |title=Interesting things you never knew about the London Eye |publisher=London Eye |url=http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730103704/http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx |archive-date=30 July 2014 }}</ref> capsules represents one of the [[London boroughs]],<ref name=making/> and holds up to 25 people,<ref name="tribune">{{cite news |last=Hester |first=Elliott |date=23 September 2007 |title=London's Eye in the sky not just a Ferris wheel |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-londoneye_rc_pmsep23,0,5156873.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126162539/http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-londoneye_rc_pmsep23,0,5156873.story |archive-date=26 November 2010 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref> who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at {{Convert|26|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} per second (about 0.9&nbsp;km/h or 0.6&nbsp;mph) so that one revolution takes about 30&nbsp;minutes, giving a theoretical capacity of 1,600 passengers per hour. 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.<ref name=facts/> It is stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.<ref name=disabled>{{cite web |title=Disabled Guests |publisher=London Eye |url=http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/DisabledGuests/default/Default.aspx |access-date=15 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329102331/http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/DisabledGuests/default/Default.aspx |archive-date=29 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009, the first stage of a £12.5&nbsp;million capsule upgrade began. Each capsule was taken down and floated down the river to [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury Docks]] in Essex.<ref>{{cite news |last=Woodman |first=Peter |date=26 June 2009 |title=London Eye capsule taken away as refit starts |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-eye-capsule-taken-away-as-refit-starts-1720327.html |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

On 2 June 2013, a passenger capsule was named the Coronation Capsule to mark the 60th anniversary of the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2 June 2013 |title=Queen lookalike unveils Coronation Capsule at London Eye |url=http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/6867 |access-date=8 June 2013 |work=London SE1 |publisher=}}</ref>

In March 2020, the London Eye celebrated its 20th birthday by turning several of its capsules into experiences themed around London. The experiences included a pub in a capsule, a [[West End theatre]] capsule and a garden party with flower arrangements to represent the eight London [[The Royal Parks|Royal Parks]].<ref>{{cite web |date=6 March 2020 |title=London Eye transformed to celebrate 20 years |url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-03-06/london-eye-transformed-to-celebrate-20-years/ |access-date=24 April 2020 |website=[[ITV News]]}}</ref>

==Sponsors==
[[File:Odd One Out - geograph.org.uk - 2942583.jpg|thumb|left|Local councillors refused permission for an orange capsule promoting the attraction's sponsor.]]
[[File:Aerial view of the London Eye. MOD 45146076.jpg|thumb|right|The Eye on the [[South Bank]] of the [[River Thames|Thames]], with [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]] (left) and [[County Hall, London|County Hall]] (right) in the background]]
From the time of opening until 2008, the attraction was known as the British Airways London Eye under a [[naming rights]] deal.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 January 2011 |title=London Eye to get (another) new name |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london-eye-to-get-another-new-name-6553003.html |access-date=16 January 2017 |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]}}</ref> In August 2009, it was rebranded as the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, reflecting the name of its operator.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rattray |first=David |date=12 August 2009 |title=London Eye takes Merlin branding |url=https://www.marketingweek.com/london-eye-takes-merlin-branding/ |access-date=23 April 2025 |website=[[Marketing Week]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[EDF Energy]] became the sponsor in 2011, reportedly paying about £2.5 million a year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 January 2011 |title=London Eye to be renamed in £8m EDF sponsorship deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12138387 |access-date=16 April 2025 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> The deal coincided with its sponsorship of the [[2012 Summer Olympics|London 2012 Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eleftheriou-Smith |first=Loulla-Mae |date=7 January 2011 |title=EDF Energy signs three-year London Eye sponsorship |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/edf-energy-signs-three-year-london-eye-sponsorship/1048247 |access-date=14 April 2025 |website=[[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign]] |language=en}}</ref> A capsule was repainted bright orange to match the company's branding, but local councillors refused consent and requested it be restored to its original appearance.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |title=London Eye's "obtrusive" orange pod vetoed by Lambeth councillors |url=https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5192 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506175051/https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5192 |archive-date=6 May 2019 |access-date=14 April 2025 |work=London SE1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2011 |title=Advertisement Consent 10/04094/ADV (Decision Notice) |url=https://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LCG6DSBO0AY00 |access-date=14 April 2025 |website= |publisher=[[Lambeth London Borough Council]]}}</ref>

In 2015, the attraction rebranded as the [[Coca-Cola]] London Eye, drawing criticism from children's health charities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khomami |first=Nadia |date=18 January 2015 |title=Welcome to the Coca-Cola London Eye … but health charities are already seeing red |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/18/coca-cola-london-eye-charity-anger |access-date=14 April 2025 |work=[[The Observer]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> Labour MP [[Keith Vaz]] urged the Government to intervene, condemning the "irresponsible" promotion of a high-sugar product "at a time of record [[Childhood obesity|child obesity]], rotten teeth and [[diabetes]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=COCA COLA SPONSORSHIP OF THE LONDON EYE - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament |url=https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/47569/coca-cola-sponsorship-of-the-london-eye |access-date=14 April 2025 |website=edm.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, the online travel retailer [[lastminute.com]] became the new sponsor, with the wheel illuminated at night in the brand’s hot pink.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hunt |first=El |date=14 November 2019 |title=The London Eye is turning pink in 2020 (at night, anyway) |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-london-eye-is-turning-pink-in-2020-at-night-anyway-111419 |access-date=24 April 2020 |website=[[Time Out London]]}}</ref>

==Cultural significance==
[[File:2015 New Year Fireworks, London SE1 - geograph.org.uk - 4298548.jpg|thumb|Thousands of fireworks are launched from the wheel to mark New Year.]]
The London Eye has become widely regarded as a symbol of London.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=31 August 2007 |title=Love at first sight |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/30/uk.london |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=10 March 2025 |title=25 years on, how the London Eye became a symbol of the UK's capital |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3301731/how-london-eye-became-symbol-uks-capital |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |language=en |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 March 2010 |title=London Eye marks 10th anniversary |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/london-eye-marks-10-th-anniversary.297582 |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[Times of Malta]] |language=en-gb |agency=PA Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Rob |date=14 March 2025 |title=I've lived in London for three years without seeing this – how foolish I have been |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/riding-high-on-the-london-eye-with-the-architect-of-an-icon-20250313-p5lj7r.html |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en |quote=It feels almost surreal that this structure, initially intended as temporary, has become as integral to London’s identity as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. The passing of time has solidified its status as a global icon}}</ref> In a 2006 government-commissioned survey, it was also named an icon of modern England.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 January 2006 |title=London Eye tops England icon poll |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4593786.stm |access-date=17 April 2025 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Its image has been depicted inside [[British passport|British passports]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Banks |first=Tom |date=3 November 2015 |title=New passport designed to reflect "Creative United Kingdom" |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/2-8-november-2015/new-passport-designed-to-reflect-creative-united-kingdom/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[Design Week]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> in the [[moquette]] design on the seats of some London Underground trains,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moquette sample; 'Barman' or 'Landmark', designed by Wallace Sewell, 2010 |url=https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/vehicle-parts/item/2010-7676 |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[London Transport Museum]] |language=en}}</ref> and in the [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]] of the 2012 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=13 August 2012 |title=London 2012 Closing Ceremony: Del Boy and Darcey give Rio a unique act to follow |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9471474/London-2012-Closing-Ceremony-Del-Boy-and-Darcey-give-Rio-a-unique-act-to-follow.html |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |language=en |quote=With the London Eye at its centre, the show opened with models of the capital’s best-known landmarks}}</ref>

People seeking to settle in the UK or become British citizens may be tested on the height of the London Eye when taking the [[Life in the UK test]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2018 |title=Peers say citizenship test should focus on essential knowledge, not trivia |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43807963 |access-date=31 May 2026 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The structure serves as the focal point for [[New Year's Eve in London|London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hurrell |first=Wendy |date=6 March 2025 |title=London Eye at 25: The wheel that nearly wasn't |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62x8x8r49eo |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> each year more than 2,000 fireworks are launched from the wheel itself during the televised display.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dams |first=Tim |date=19 December 2014 |title=Behind the scenes: London New Year's Eve fireworks |url=https://www.televisual.com/news/behind-the-scenes-london-new-year-s-eve-fireworks_bid-700/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=Televisual}}</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, reports indicated that at least 6,000 [[Marriage proposal|wedding proposals]] had taken place on the attraction.<ref name=":10" />

At the start of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, the London Eye joined other landmarks in illuminating in blue as part of the [[Clap for our Carers]] campaign in support of [[National Health Service]] staff.<ref>{{cite news |last=Penna |first=Dominic |date=23 April 2020 |title=Clap For Our Carers: what time is the NHS applause tonight? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/nhs-clap-for-carers-time-tonight-thursday/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/nhs-clap-for-carers-time-tonight-thursday/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=24 April 2020 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

Beginning in the 2020s, the London Eye in collaboration with the [[New Crescent Society]] started to illuminate once the crescent moon was sighted for the Islamic month of [[Shawwal]] marking the beginning of the occasion of [[Eid Al Fitr]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eid in the Square 2023 |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/events/eid-square-2023 |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=London City Hall |language=en-gb}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
[[Sir Richard Rogers]], winner of the 2007 [[Pritzker Architecture Prize]], wrote of the London Eye in a book about the project:

{{blockquote|The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.<ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye">{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Steve |year=2007 |title=Eye: The story behind the London Eye |publisher=[[Black Dog Publishing]] |isbn=9781906155087}}</ref>}}
{{Wide image|London_360°_Panorama_from_the_London_Eye.jpg|2000px|align-cap=center|Panoramic skyline seen from the Eye, with [[Palace of Westminster]] and [[Big Ben]] to the left, [[Charing Cross railway station]] centre, and [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo railway station]] to the right}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:London Eye and a boat going down the Thames.jpg|London Eye on the River Thames, with Big Ben in the background
File:Top of London Eye looking down.jpg|View from the top of the London Eye looking down
</gallery>

==Transport links==
The nearest [[London Underground]] station is [[Waterloo tube station|Waterloo]], although [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross]], [[Embankment tube station|Embankment]], and [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]] are also within easy walking distance.<ref name=":9" />

Connection with [[National Rail]] services is made at [[London Waterloo station]] and [[London Waterloo East station]].<ref name=":9" />

[[London River Services]] operated by [[Thames Clippers]] and [[City Cruises]] stop at the [[London Eye Pier]].<ref name=":9" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.marksbarfield.com/ Architect's website]
* {{Structurae}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Daikanransha]]}}
{{S-ttl|title={{Nowrap|[[World's tallest Ferris wheel]]}}|years=2000–2006}}<!-- based on final completion date, not ceremonial opening -->
{{S-aft|after=[[Star of Nanchang]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Ferris wheel}}
{{Merlin attractions}}
{{London landmarks}}
{{LB Lambeth}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Eye, The}}
[[Category:Ferris wheels in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Amusement rides introduced in 2000]]
[[Category:Merlin Entertainments Group]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures celebrating the 3rd millennium]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the River Thames]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Privately owned public spaces]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in England]]