Construction of London Eye

The London Eye is a giant observation wheel on the South Bank of the Thames, designed by the architects David Marks and Julia Barfield to mark the millennium. Its parts were assembled flat on the river and raised into an upright position in the autumn of 1999, and it was formally switched on at the turn of the year, though the first public rides started only in March 2000 after a technical delay. The wheel is 135 metres high and carries visitors in thirty-two glass capsules, making a full revolution in about thirty minutes. It was meant to stay for five years, but it proved so popular that it was given permanent permission, and it has become one of the best-known landmarks of the city.

Open on the timeline