November 25, 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

EYE RIDES HIGH OVER LONDON
By Margot Nesdale and Julie Mullins 

LONDON, November 25, Graphic News: WELCOME ABOARD for a ride into the 21st century. 

Your host on the groundbreaking voyage will be the £20 million, 1,700-tonne Millennium Wheel, situated on the South Bank of LondonÕs famous River Thames.

Cocooned in a glass bubble, you will swirl gently around the capitalÕs skyline for 30 minutes, the duration of one full rotation.

The brainchild of architect husband and wife team David Marks and Julia Barfield, and somewhat clumsily dubbed the British Airways London Eye, the wheelÕs first passengers are due to be propelled skywards as the new millennium dawns in January.

Almost three times as high as Tower Bridge, four times as wide as the dome of St PaulÕs Cathedral and heavier than 250 of LondonÕs famous red double-decker buses, the mechanical monster has radically changed the complexion of the cityscape.

Sweeping the skyline at 440ft (135m), the wheel is now the capitalÕs fourth tallest structure, dwarfed only by Canary Wharf, the Nat West Tower and the London Telecom Tower.

The 75ft(23m)-tall spindle, which holds the wheel structure, is around the size of a church spire and together with the hub weighs in at 330 tonnes Š more than 20 times heavier than Big Ben.

The 32 high-tech passenger capsules, positioned on the outside of the wheel, can carry up to 15,000 visitors a day, enough to fill Concorde 160 times over.

Voyagers will enjoy panoramic views of over 25 miles (40km) in every direction, British weather permitting of course. Up to two million people are expected to take a ride in the first year. Fares are £7.45 for adults, £4.95 for children and £5.95 for senior citizens. 

Construction work began in January 1999 and involved some 1,700 tonnes of British steel and components from Holland, the Czech Republic, France and Italy.

The wheel was then assembled horizontally over a 400ft (122m) area of the river in front of County Hall, near Westminster Bridge, using seven temporary islands as supports.

After delays to the schedule and an embarrassing failure when a cable broke loose on the first attempt to hoist the massive structure, jubilation, relief and the popping of champagne corks were much in evidence as the wheel was finally hauled upright in mid-October.

Financed privately, it will be operated by the Tussauds Group and will remain in situ for five years, after which it is scheduled to be dismantled.

However, the same was once said about the Eiffel Tower, and with Londoners already expressing affection for the newcomer, the Millennium Wheel may grace the city skyline for considerably longer.

/ENDS
Sources: SAW Associates, British Airways, www.london-se1.co.uk, www.london.press.net