London eye

Did you ever want to see Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, West Minister Abbey, Charing cross station, Cleopatra’s needle, Royal festival hall, Lambeth palace in 15 minutes Then BA London Eye, is the one for you. In just 30 minutes, have an eagle-eyed view of all “must see” places in town. The places mentioned above can be seen when the wheel ascends and when you come down slowly in the transparent capsules, soak in the magnificence of St James' Park and Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Millennium Dome and the Thames Barrier.

LOCATION

British Airways London Eye, formerly called as the Millennium wheel, is situated on South Bank of Thames River on the Jubilee gardens. It is situated between Westminster Bridge and Hunger ford Foot Bridge in Lambeth and adjacent to Old County Building. It stands opposite to Houses of parliament. The nearest train station is waterloo. If you fancy London’s underground rail network, Waterloo and Westminster are the nearest tube stations. Former is colored black in Tube maps as it is in Northern lines and latter in yellow color, code for Circle lines. Another good alternative would be to travel by Thames Clipper, water “bus” service providers in Thames River. They have a special package called London Eye to Tower of London express, which is currently suspended due to winter.

VISITING TIME

It is open to public daily, from June to September from 9 am to 10 pm and from 10 am to 8pm during the winter season of October to May. It is closed on Christmas and for maintenance from 3rd to 8th January 2006. The booking counter normally opens at 9:30am.

COST

It is advisable to book the tickets in advance to avoid the never-ending queues at the site especially during weekends. Children under five and disabled can enjoy the ride free of cost. For 2006, the tickets will cost £4.5 for Children between 5-15, £11.70 for those between 15 and 60 years. Seniors in 60+ category and disabled people can ride for £9.An entire capsule for 25 people can be booked for £380 and an additional £50 for a host. Bookings and enquiry can be done through + 44 (0) 870 5000 600.

HISTORY

It started with a vision of Architect couple David Marks and Julia Barfields, who had competed for millennium ideas contest conducted by Sunday Times, a British newspaper in 1993 to welcome year 2000 splendidly. Regrettably, the contest was scrapped, but the couple persisted with their dream project by forming a company for this undertaking, eventually grabbing the attention of Evening Standard, another British newspaper. British Airways after noticing this widely publicized article agreed to fund, foreseeing the vital contribution of this project to London’s skyline and it tourism, giving a spectacular view of this fascinating city that was otherwise not visible to the Londoners.

AN ENGINEERING FEAT

The entire construction resembles a gargantuan cycle wheel, albeit 200 times the normal cycle wheel with a whopping diameter of 135m(443 ft) and weighing 1700 tones of steel and 2000 tones at the foundation reaching almost 30m deep! It is the largest observation wheel built so far, making even Statue of Liberty ,Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, look up to it. It is the 4th highest structure (6th if you consider Canary’s three towers) in London. The Canary Towers, BT tower and Tower 42 are the higher three.

Spindles connected to an A-frame structure from one side in South Bank Center support the giant rim. Thirty Two Double curved laminated glass cubicles which can accommodate up to 25 people/cubicle, is mounted on top of the wheel, to give an unhindered view of the city. Each capsule is air-conditioned and has a Closed circuit Tele Vision (CCTV), radio and audio system which actually says “British Airways hopes you enjoy your flight”, a backup battery and computer in case of power failure. The wheel takes about 26 minutes for a revolution. With wheels moving at almost 0.26m per second you can actually step down at the base safely even without stopping the wheel, though it is occasionally stopped for elderly or physically disabled persons.

This mammoth structure was designed in parts in various countries, later fully assembled on Thames bank and erected into a single structure and was slated to be erected in almost one day! The supporting cables from Italy, glass capsule from France, Steel fabrication in Holland, Bearings from Germany, and Spindles from Czech Republic gave this project a truly European flavor. One of the world’s largest floating cranes were roped in during construction to move the massive parts of the rim onto eight temporary platforms built in Thames river and delivery of the material from different parts of the world had to be coordinated with tides of the Thames river to snake their way through innumerable bridges along the way. With sheer dedication of 1700 workers, this structure was realized in 16 months, just in time to welcome the millennium. Prime minister Tony Blair inaugurated it on December 31st 1999 and a minor safety concern regarding clutching delayed its opening to public, which finally happened 3 months behind the schedule in March 2000.

ACCOLADES

Within a short span of five years, this £75 million beauty has captured the imagination of young and old alike. It is undeniably one of the major tourist attractions in Europe, carrying almost 15000 people a day and more than 18 million people have enjoyed the joy ride so far. It has earned the distinction of being the most popular attraction in London after British Museum and Tate Modern Gallery. It has been projected in movies too, like Bride and Prejudice, Thunderbirds, A knight’s tale etc. The popular American magician David Blaine stood on top of a glass capsule for one full revolution for a TV series in August 2003.The makers of London eye have won several prestigious architectural awards and the monument itself has won honors in tourism category.

CURRENT ISSUES

Recently it has been in the eye of the storm after South Bank Center, who own the land where the A-Frame and supporting masts are kept, have demanded a 1500 times rental increase from present £65,000 to £1 million. If a suitable settlement is not reached, the wheel might be forced to close down. The wheel is impossible to miss in the skyline, hence a soft target for protestors ranging from those against UN economic sanctions against Iraq, Spanish Environmental activist to Kurd and Turkish protestors against Prison riots in Turkey during December 2000. Despite these minor hiccups, the eye has enjoyed a smooth ride so far. Initially it was meant to be a temporary structure commissioned for 5 years. Its soaring popularity made authorities extend its permit for another two decades after which it has to be renewed again.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

To fully enjoy the panoramic view, which can extend up to 25-miles on a clear day, make sure you carry a binocular with you. Else it can be hired there for a nominal charge the official booklet “Essential Guide”, which costs around, £5 is highly recommended since it explains which building you are looking at during each stage of the ride with the help of fantastic illustrations. It also includes comprehensive coverage of the design, structure, engineering, awards and other achievements of the wheel. An equally good alternative would be a good guidebook about London. To help you out with your queries, there will be a staff member in every capsule who can also help out in case of any unlikely emergency situation.

Till date, the wheel is operated by Tussauds group and primarily financed by British Airways. So next time you visit London be sure not to miss this enthralling “flight” at any cost.