★★★★★ 5.0
Discover
lastminute.com London Eye
Workers are still fixing tiny problems with those giant passenger capsules spinning slowly above you... just like they did on opening day when a clutch malfunction kept the world's newest tallest Ferris wheel closed for two whole months! The lastminute.com London Eye was supposed to open with the new millennium on January 1st, 2000, but didn't welcome its first paying customers until March 9th because of stubborn mechanical hiccups. Here at County Hall on the South Bank, you're standing where Crosse & Blackwell's pickle factory once bubbled and steamed before this grand Edwardian building replaced it in 1922. The Eye itself was meant to last just five years - imagine if your favorite playground disappeared when you turned ten! But this 135-meter giant wheel has now spun over 85 million people around London's skyline for twenty-five years and counting. Look up and count those white capsules slowly rotating... each one can hold 25 people, and when this opened in 2000, it was officially the world's tallest Ferris wheel until China built an even bigger one six years later!
Did You Know?
- The London Eye was originally designed to celebrate the new millennium and was built in just 14 months—an unprecedented feat for a structure of its size and complexity, with its official opening in March 2000 marking it as a symbol of modern Britain and a centerpiece of London’s millennium celebrations.
- The London Eye’s unique cantilevered design—supported by tensioned steel cables from just one side—allows it to ‘hang’ dramatically over the River Thames, a feature that was unconventional at the time and remains visually striking; its 32 glass capsules rotate independently from the wheel, using onboard computers to keep the floor level for passengers, making the ride smooth and accessible for all ages.
- The London Eye’s capsules were originally planned to hold 16 people each, but after testing in France, it was discovered that 25 people could fit comfortably, so the design was changed to feature fewer, larger capsules—allowing for more spacious, panoramic views and making it a favorite for families and groups.