The London Eye is ten!

Difficult to believe, but the London Eye [map] has just had its tenth birthday. The largest ferris wheel in Europe, it’s already had more than 30 million visitors.

I always think the Eye is one of those tourist attractions you get the most out of if you already know London well – you can recognise the landmarks spread out below, and you can even follow the railways and roads out of the centre and see where they go. On a good day, I’m told, you can see Windsor Castle.

The Eye isn’t just a great tourist attraction. It’s one of my favourite additions to the London skyline – particularly seen from Westminster, along the river, with its LEDs glowing in the night sky. Originally, it was only intended to be a temporary attraction – its planning permission was only extended for five years – but it’s now been made permanent.

It’s still the largest cantilevered ferris wheel in the world – look carefully and you’ll see the A-frame only supports it on one side. It really is a delightful piece of engineering – incredibly light for its size. Particularly intriguing is the way the capsules are attached to the wheel – instead of being slung underneath it, they are mounted in circular rings which enable them to turn as the wheel rotates, so that when you’re at the top of the wheel, you can see all the way round with nothing in the way at all. (Not a great experience if you suffer from vertigo, mind you!)

As a “birthday present” to itself, the Eye has a special offer for the rest of March – you can join the 10 am ‘flight’ for just £10, instead of the standard £16. (Whenever you go, remember to book online – it’s cheaper than buying a ticket at the kiosk; a family of four can save £5 on their tickets.)

Photo by Mostaque on flickr