Editing London Eye

{{short description|Observation wheel in London, England}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = London Eye
| former_names     = Millennium Wheel
| alternate_names  = 
| status           = Operating
| image            = London-Eye-2009.JPG
| location         = [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth, London]]
| address          = Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road
| coordinates      = {{coord|51.5033|N|0.1194|W|display=inline,title|region:GB_type:landmark}}
| start_date       = 
| completion_date  = March 2000<!-- Infobox Reference 9 --><ref name="marksstudy">{{Cite web |title=London Eye |url=https://marksbarfield.com/projects/london-eye/ |access-date=30 July 2020 |website=Marks Barfield}}</ref>
| opened_date      = {{unbulleted list
|31 December 1999 (ceremonial, without passengers)<!-- Infobox Reference 1 --><ref name=cnnbirthday>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/UK/03/08/millennium.wheel/ |title=London's big wheel birthday |date=8 March 2001 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>
|1 February 2000 (first passengers carried)<!-- Infobox Reference 2 --><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Matt |date=2 February 2020 |title=London Eye begins its millennium revolution |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/feb/02/millennium.uk |access-date=30 July 2020 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
| 9 March 2000 (opened to general public)<ref name=cnnbirthday />
}}
| architect        = {{unbulleted list
| [[David Marks (architect)|David Marks]]
| [[Julia Barfield]]
| Frank Anatole
| Joanna Bailey
| Nic Bailey
| Margarita Bowman
| Loren Butt
| Steve Chilton
| Malcom Cook
| Mark Sparrowhawk<ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye" />}}
| owner            = [[Merlin Entertainments]]<!-- Infobox Reference 5 --><ref>{{Cite web |title=Merlin Entertainments: Gateway Attractions |url=https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/our-brands/gateway-attractions/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |publisher=[[Merlin Entertainments]]}}</ref>
| cost             = £70&nbsp;million<!-- Infobox Reference 6 --><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2717120/London-Eye-is-turning-at-a-loss.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2717120/London-Eye-is-turning-at-a-loss.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Damian |last=Reece |title=London Eye is turning at a loss |date=6 May 2001}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
| public_transit   = {{rint|london|underground}} {{rint|gb|rail}} [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo]]<br/>{{rint|london|underground}} [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]]
| website          = {{URL|londoneye.com}}
| building_type    = [[Observation wheel]]
| height           = {{Convert|135|m|ft|0}}<!-- Infobox Reference 7 --><ref name=structurae>{{cite web |url=http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002407 |title=Structurae London Eye Millennium Wheel |year=2011 |work=web page |publisher=Nicolas Janberg ICS |access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>
| architecture_firm = [[Marks Barfield]]<ref name="ISEAward" />
| diameter         = {{Convert|120|m|ft|0}}<ref name=structurae/>
| structural_engineer = [[Arup Group|Arup]]<!-- Infobox Reference 10 --><ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye" />
| other_designers  = {{unbulleted list
|[[Babtie, Shaw and Morton|Babtie Allott & Lomax]] (checking engineer)<!-- Infobox Reference 11 --><ref name="ISEAward">{{cite news |title=ISE rewards the biggest and best |date=1 March 2001 |first=David |last=Taylor |journal=[[Architects' Journal]] |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/ise-rewards-the-biggest-and-best/179716.article}}</ref>
|Tony Gee (foundations)<!-- Infobox Reference 12 --><ref>{{cite web |title=London Eye |url=https://www.tonygee.com/our-work/london-eye |website=Tony Gee}}</ref>}}
| awards           = [[Institution of Structural Engineers]] Special Award 2001<ref name="ISEAward" />
}}
The '''London Eye''', originally the '''Millennium Wheel''', is a [[cantilevered]] [[observation wheel]] on the [[South Bank]] of the [[River Thames]] in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 March 2025 |title=London Eye, pioneering observation wheel, turns 25 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/london-eye-pioneering-observation-wheel-turns-25-2025-03-06/ |access-date=13 April 2025 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> and the most popular paid [[Tourist attractions in the United Kingdom|tourist attraction in the United Kingdom]] with over three million visitors annually.<ref name=history>{{cite news |title=The London Eye a complete visitor guide |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/10801520/London-Eye-complete-visitor-guide.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501234411/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/10801520/London-Eye-complete-visitor-guide.html |archive-date=2014-05-01 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 May 2014}}</ref> It has been featured numerous times in popular culture.
 
The structure is {{Convert|135|m|ft|0}} tall and the wheel has a diameter of {{Convert|120|m|ft|0}}. When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the [[world's tallest Ferris wheel]], until the {{Convert|160|m|ft|0|adj=on}} [[Star of Nanchang]] in China surpassed it in 2006. Unlike taller wheels, the Eye is cantilevered and supported solely by an [[A-frame]] on one side. The Eye was the highest public viewing point in London until 2013, when it was surpassed by the {{Convert|245|m|ft|0|abbr=|adj=on}} [[The View from The Shard|View from The Shard]] [[observation deck]].<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/up-you-come-the-views-amazing-first-look-from-the-shards-public-gallery-8227858.html "Up you come, the view's amazing... first look from the Shard's public gallery"]. ''London Evening Standard''. Retrieved 31 December 2014</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Whitten |first=Nick |date=20 May 2009 |title=Shard observation deck to be Europe's highest |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/sectors/shard-observation-deck-to-be-europes-highest-20-05-2009/ |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=[[Construction News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shard rakes in £5million from visitors to viewing platform in first year |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/shard-rakes-in-5million-from-visitors-to-viewing-platform-in-first-year-9206970.html |work=London Evening Standard |date=21 March 2014}}</ref>

The London Eye adjoins the western end of [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]] (previously the site of the former [[Dome of Discovery]]), on the South Bank of the River Thames between [[Westminster Bridge]] and [[Hungerford Bridge]] beside [[County Hall, London|County Hall]], in the [[London Borough of Lambeth]]. The nearest [[London Underground|tube]] station is [[Waterloo tube station|Waterloo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.londoneye.com/plan-your-visit/before-you-visit/directions/#:~:text=Waterloo%20is%20the%20closest%20tube,side%20of%20the%20River%20Thames. |title=Location and Directions |work=londoneye.com |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref>

==History==

===Design and construction===
[[File:Ojo de Londres, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-07, DD 028.JPG|thumb|250px|Supported by an [[A-frame]] on one side only, the Eye is described by its operators as a [[cantilever]]ed observation wheel.]]

The London Eye was designed by the husband-and-wife team of [[Julia Barfield]] and [[David Marks (architect)|David Marks]] of [[Marks Barfield Architects]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The London Encyclopaedia |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |publisher=Pan MacMillan |year=2011 |isbn=9780230738782 |location=London |edition=3rd}}</ref><ref name=G2>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/30/uk.london |title=London Eye, love at first sight |work=The Guardian |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=7 January 2010 |first=Steve |last=Rose}}</ref> The rim of the Eye is supported by tensioned steel cables<ref name=making>{{cite web |url=http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/MakingTheLondonEye/Default.aspx |title=Making of The London Eye |publisher=Londoneye.com |access-date=21 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521173640/http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/MakingTheLondonEye/Default.aspx |archive-date=21 May 2014}}</ref> and resembles a huge spoked [[bicycle wheel]]. The lighting was re-done with [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] lighting from [[Color Kinetics]] in December 2006 to allow digital control of the lights as opposed to the manual replacement of [[color gel|gels]] over fluorescent tubes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.colorkinetics.com/global/showcase/londoneye |title=London Eye |publisher=Color Kinetics |access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref>

[[Mace (construction company)|Mace]] was responsible for construction management, with Hollandia as the main steelwork contractor and [[Tilbury Douglas]] as the civil contractor. Consulting engineers Tony Gee & Partners designed the foundation works while Beckett Rankine designed the marine works.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London Eye Pier Design |url=https://beckettrankine.com/PS/10039/9730_London_Eye_Pier_Design.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616075448/http://www.beckettrankine.com/PS/10039/9730_London_Eye_Pier_Design.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2013 |website=Beckett Rankine}}</ref>

Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners assisted [[The Tussauds Group]] in obtaining planning and listed building consent to alter the wall on the [[South Bank]] of the Thames. They also examined and reported on the implications of a [[Section 106 agreement]] attached to the original contract, and also prepared planning and listed building consent applications for the permanent retention of the attraction, which involved the co-ordination of an Environmental Statement and the production of a planning supporting statement detailing the reasons for its retention.<ref>{{cite web |title=The London Eye |url=http://www.nlpplanning.com/projects.php?id=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321074845/http://www.nlpplanning.com/projects.php?id=3 |archive-date=21 March 2007 |access-date=7 January 2010 |publisher=Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners}}</ref>
[[File:Hub of the Eye - geograph.org.uk - 1409599.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The spindle, hub, and tensioned cables that support the rim]]

The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was lifted into an upright position by a [[strand jack]] system made by [[Enerpac]].<ref>[http://www.enerpac.com/en-us/integrated-solutions-imperial/london-eye Enerpac strand jacks lift London Eye] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627002852/http://www.enerpac.com/en-us/projects/markets/buildings-and-stadiums-0/london-eye |date=27 June 2015 }}. Enerpac.com. Retrieved 6 February 2012.</ref> It was first raised at 2&nbsp;degrees per hour until it reached 65&nbsp;degrees, then left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift.

The project was European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in the Netherlands by Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany (FAG/Schaeffler Group), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by [[Poma]] in France (and the glass for these came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1680/cien.2001.144.2.60 |title=Building the British Airways London Eye |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering |volume=144 |issue=2 |pages=60–72 |year=2001 |last2=Thompson |first2=N. |last1=Mann |first1=A. P. |last3=Smits |first3=M.}}</ref>

===Opening===
The London Eye was formally opened by the Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] on 31 December 1999, but did not open to the paying public until 9 March 2000 because of a capsule clutch problem.<ref name=cnnbirthday/>

The London Eye was originally intended as a temporary attraction, with a five-year lease. In December 2001, operators submitted an application to [[Lambeth London Borough Council|Lambeth Council]] to give the London Eye permanent status, and the application was granted in July 2002.<ref name='Londonist 2017'>{{cite news |url=https://londonist.com/london/history/london-eye-trivia |publisher=[[Londonist]] |title=11 Fun Facts About The London Eye |last=Craig |first=Zoe |date=17 January 2017 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref name='BBC 2001'>{{cite news |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1701602.stm |title=London Eye aims to go permanent |date=10 December 2001 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref name='BBC 2002'>{{cite news |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2132042.stm |title=London Eye 'to stay' |date=16 July 2002 |access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref>

=== Southbank Centre dispute ===
In May 2005, there were reports of a leaked letter showing that the [[Southbank Centre]] (SBC)—owners of part of the land on which the struts of the Eye are located—had served a notice to quit on the attraction along with a demand for an increase in rent from £65,000<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2005-10-27 |title=London Eye loses rent challenge |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/advice/london-eye-loses-rent-challenge-qkpnfpprkv7 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=The Times |language=en}}</ref> per year to £2.5&nbsp;million{{Failed verification|date=April 2025}}, which the operator rejected as unaffordable.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |date=20 May 2005 |title=London Eye given eviction notice |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4564115.stm |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

Mayor [[Ken Livingstone]] pledged that if the dispute was not resolved he would ask the [[London Development Agency]] to issue a [[compulsory purchase order]].<ref>{{cite news |date=25 May 2005 |title=Mayor's 'prat' jibe over Eye row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4581033.stm |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The land in question is a small part of the [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]], which was given to the SBC for £1 when the [[Greater London Council]] was broken up.<ref name=":2" />

In February 2006, after a request for [[Judicial review in English law|judicial review]] was refused,<ref name=":1" /> a new 25-year lease was agreed under which the SBC would receive a percentage of the London Eye's turnover, with a minimum of £500,000 per year.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=13 February 2006 |title=Marks Barfield sell stake in the London Eye |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/marks-barfield-sell-stake-in-the-london-eye/3062693.article |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=[[Building (magazine)|Building]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Change of ownership ===
Architects [[Marks Barfield]], the Tussauds Group, and [[British Airways]] were the original owners of the London Eye.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=27 March 2006 |title=Towering ambition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/mar/27/architecture.communities |access-date=16 January 2017 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Tussauds announced the acquisition of British Airways' share in 2005, then Marks Barfield's in 2006.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=6 March 2007 |title=Blackstone to buy Tussauds' parent |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-mar-06-fi-wax6-story.html |access-date=16 January 2017 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |agency=Reuters}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The purchase gave Tussauds sole ownership and resolved debt owed to British Airways for construction costs, which stood at more than £175&nbsp;million and had been charged at an interest rate of 25% per annum.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marriner |first=Cosima |date=11 November 2005 |title=BA sells stake in London Eye to Tussauds for £95m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/ba/story/0,13772,1640224,00.html |access-date=7 January 2010 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Tussauds was later merged with [[Merlin Entertainments]].<ref>{{cite news |date=17 July 2007 |title=Merlin conjures up leaseback deal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2812377/Merlin-conjures-up-leaseback-deal.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2812377/Merlin-conjures-up-leaseback-deal.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cho |first=David |date=6 March 2007 |title=Blackstone Buys Madame Tussauds Chain |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501369.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> 

=== Continued operations ===
In 2009, a [[4D film|4D cinema]] was added to the attraction.<ref name="4D Experience">{{cite web |title=A new eye on London |url=http://www.londoneye.com/NewsAndEvents/News/New_Eye_London/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817013811/http://www.londoneye.com/NewsAndEvents/News/New_Eye_London/default.aspx |archive-date=17 August 2009 |publisher=London Eye |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the attraction has carried over 85 million passengers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-06 |title=London Eye at 25: The wheel that nearly wasn't |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62x8x8r49eo |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Passenger capsules==
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Eye Pod 1.jpg
| image2            = InsidetheLondonEye.JPG
| width2            = 112
| footer            = Each of the 32 ovoidal capsules weighs 10&nbsp;tonnes and can carry 25 people.
}}

The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned [[Oval|ovoidal]] passenger capsules, designed<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashby |first=Charles |date=2011-11-16 |title=High-flying deal for Leitner-Poma |url=https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/high-flying-deal-for-leitner-poma/article_c060005a-d561-5754-871a-253899f5054a.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel |language=en}}</ref> and supplied<ref>{{Cite web |last=Migoya |first=David |date=2011-11-15 |title=Colorado's Leitner-Poma to build cabins for huge observation wheel in Las Vegas |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2011/11/15/colorados-leitner-poma-to-build-cabins-for-huge-observation-wheel-in-las-vegas/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}</ref> by [[Poma]], are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. The capsules are numbered from 1 to 33, excluding number 13 for [[triskaidekaphobia|superstitious reasons]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/central/south-bank/articles/The-London-Eye-in-numbers/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/central/south-bank/articles/The-London-Eye-in-numbers/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The London Eye in numbers |date=9 March 2015 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Each of the {{Convert|10|t|ST|adj=on}}<ref name=facts>{{cite web |title=Interesting things you never knew about the London Eye |publisher=London Eye |url=http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730103704/http://www.londoneye.com/AboutUs/InterestingFacts/Default.aspx |archive-date=30 July 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> capsules represents one of the [[London boroughs]],<ref name=making/> and holds up to 25 people,<ref name=tribune>{{cite news |last=Hester |first=Elliott |title=London's Eye in the sky not just a Ferris wheel |work=Chicago Tribune |date=23 September 2007 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-londoneye_rc_pmsep23,0,5156873.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126162539/http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-londoneye_rc_pmsep23,0,5156873.story |archive-date=26 November 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at {{Convert|26|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} per second (about 0.9&nbsp;km/h or 0.6&nbsp;mph) so that one revolution takes about 30&nbsp;minutes, giving a theoretical capacity of 1,600 passengers per hour. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level.<ref name=facts/> It is stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.<ref name=disabled>{{cite web |title=Disabled Guests |publisher=London Eye |url=http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/DisabledGuests/default/Default.aspx |access-date=15 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329102331/http://www.londoneye.com/VisitorInformation/DisabledGuests/default/Default.aspx |archive-date=29 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009, the first stage of a £12.5&nbsp;million capsule upgrade began. Each capsule was taken down and floated down the river to [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury Docks]] in Essex.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-eye-capsule-taken-away-as-refit-starts-1720327.html |title=London Eye capsule taken away as refit starts |work=The Independent |first=Peter |last=Woodman |date=26 June 2009 |access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref>

On 2 June 2013, a passenger capsule was named the Coronation Capsule to mark the 60th anniversary of the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/6867 |title=Queen lookalike unveils Coronation Capsule at London Eye |publisher=london-se1.co.uk |date=2 June 2013 |access-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

In March 2020, the London Eye celebrated its 20th birthday by turning several of its capsules into experiences themed around London. The experiences included a pub in a capsule, a [[West End theatre]] capsule and a garden party with flower arrangements to represent the eight London [[The Royal Parks|Royal Parks]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-03-06/london-eye-transformed-to-celebrate-20-years/ |title=London Eye transformed to celebrate 20 years |website=ITV News |date=6 March 2020 |access-date=24 April 2020}}</ref>

==Sponsors==
[[File:Odd One Out - geograph.org.uk - 2942583.jpg|thumb|Local councillors refused permission for an orange capsule promoting the attraction's sponsor]]
[[File:Aerial view of the London Eye. MOD 45146076.jpg|thumb|The Eye on the [[South Bank]] of the [[River Thames|Thames]], with [[Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth|Jubilee Gardens]] (left) and [[County Hall, London|County Hall]] (right) in the background]]
From the time of opening until 2008, the attraction was known as the British Airways London Eye under a [[naming rights]] deal.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london-eye-to-get-another-new-name-6553003.html |title=London Eye to get (another) new name |date=7 January 2011 |newspaper=London Evening Standard |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> In August 2009, it was rebranded as the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, reflecting the name of its operator.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rattray |first=David |date=2009-08-12 |title=London Eye takes Merlin branding |url=https://www.marketingweek.com/london-eye-takes-merlin-branding/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Marketing Week |language=en}}</ref>

[[EDF Energy]] became the sponsor in 2011, reportedly paying about £2.5 million a year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-01-07 |title=London Eye to be renamed in £8m EDF sponsorship deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12138387 |access-date=2025-04-16 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The deal coincided with its sponsorship of the [[2012 Summer Olympics|London 2012 Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=EDF Energy signs three-year London Eye sponsorship |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/edf-energy-signs-three-year-london-eye-sponsorship/1048247 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=[[Campaign (magazine)|Campaign]] |language=en}}</ref> A capsule was repainted bright orange to match the company's branding, but local councillors refused consent and requested it be restored to its original appearance.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |title=London Eye's "obtrusive" orange pod vetoed by Lambeth councillors |url=https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5192 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190506175051/https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5192 |archive-date=2019-05-06 |access-date=2025-04-14 |work=London SE1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2011 |title=Advertisement Consent 10/04094/ADV (Decision Notice) |url=https://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LCG6DSBO0AY00 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website= |publisher=[[Lambeth London Borough Council]]}}</ref>

In 2015, the attraction rebranded as the [[Coca-Cola]] London Eye, drawing criticism from children's health charities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khomami |first=Nadia |date=2015-01-18 |title=Welcome to the Coca-Cola London Eye … but health charities are already seeing red |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/18/coca-cola-london-eye-charity-anger |access-date=2025-04-14 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> Labour MP [[Keith Vaz]] urged the Government to intervene, condemning the "irresponsible" promotion of a high-sugar product "at a time of record [[Childhood obesity|child obesity]], rotten teeth and [[diabetes]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=COCA COLA SPONSORSHIP OF THE LONDON EYE - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament |url=https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/47569/coca-cola-sponsorship-of-the-london-eye |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=edm.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, the online travel retailer [[lastminute.com]] became the new sponsor, with the wheel illuminated at night in the brand’s hot pink.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hunt |first=El |date=14 November 2019 |title=The London Eye is turning pink in 2020 (at night, anyway) |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-london-eye-is-turning-pink-in-2020-at-night-anyway-111419 |access-date=24 April 2020 |website=[[Time Out London]]}}</ref>

== Cultural significance ==
[[File:2015 New Year Fireworks, London SE1 - geograph.org.uk - 4298548.jpg|thumb|Thousands of fireworks are launched from the wheel to mark New Year]]
The London Eye has become widely regarded as a symbol of London.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Steve |date=2007-08-31 |title=Love at first sight |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/aug/30/uk.london |access-date=2025-04-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-10 |title=25 years on, how the London Eye became a symbol of the UK's capital |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3301731/how-london-eye-became-symbol-uks-capital |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-03-10 |title=London Eye marks 10 th anniversary |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/london-eye-marks-10-th-anniversary.297582 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb |agency=PA Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Rob |date=2025-03-14 |title=I've lived in London for three years without seeing this – how foolish I have been |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/riding-high-on-the-london-eye-with-the-architect-of-an-icon-20250313-p5lj7r.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |quote=It feels almost surreal that this structure, initially intended as temporary, has become as integral to London’s identity as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. The passing of time has solidified its status as a global icon}}</ref> In a 2006 government-commissioned survey, it was also named an icon of modern England.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-01-09 |title=London Eye tops England icon poll |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4593786.stm |access-date=2025-04-17 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Its image has been depicted inside [[British passport|British passports]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-03 |title=New passport designed to reflect "Creative United Kingdom" |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/2-8-november-2015/new-passport-designed-to-reflect-creative-united-kingdom/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=[[Design Week]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> in the [[moquette]] design on the seats of some London Underground trains,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moquette sample; 'Barman' or 'Landmark', designed by Wallace Sewell, 2010 {{!}} London Transport Museum |url=https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/vehicle-parts/item/2010-7676 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=[[London Transport Museum]] |language=en}}</ref> and in the [[2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|closing ceremony]] of the 2012 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=2012-08-13 |title=London 2012 Closing Ceremony: Del Boy and Darcey give Rio a unique act to follow |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9471474/London-2012-Closing-Ceremony-Del-Boy-and-Darcey-give-Rio-a-unique-act-to-follow.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=The Telegraph |language=en |quote=With the London Eye at its centre, the show opened with models of the capital’s best-known landmarks}}</ref>

The structure serves as the focal point for [[New Year's Eve in London|London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-06 |title=London Eye at 25: The wheel that nearly wasn't |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62x8x8r49eo |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> each year more than 2,000 fireworks are launched from the wheel itself during the televised display.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dams |first=Tim |date=2014-12-19 |title=Behind the scenes: London New Year's Eve fireworks |url=https://www.televisual.com/news/behind-the-scenes-london-new-year-s-eve-fireworks_bid-700/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Televisual}}</ref>

By 2013, reports indicated that at least 5,000 [[Marriage proposal|wedding proposals]] had taken place on the attraction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veselinovic |first=Milena |date=2013-02-13 |title=Marylebone lovers become 5,000th couple to get engaged on London Eye |url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/21382392.marylebone-lovers-become-5-000th-couple-get-engaged-london-eye/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Ham & High |language=en}}</ref>

At the start of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, the London Eye joined other landmarks in illuminating in blue as part of the [[Clap for our Carers]] campaign in support of [[National Health Service]] staff.<ref>{{cite news |last=Penna |first=Dominic |date=23 April 2020 |title=Clap For Our Carers: what time is the NHS applause tonight? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/nhs-clap-for-carers-time-tonight-thursday/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/nhs-clap-for-carers-time-tonight-thursday/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=24 April 2020 |work=The Telegraph |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
[[File:London Eye and a boat going down the Thames.jpg|thumb|London Eye as a boat passes on the [[River Thames]], with [[Big Ben]] in the background]]
[[File:Top of London Eye looking down.jpg|thumb|View from the top of the London Eye looking down]]
[[Sir Richard Rogers]], winner of the 2007 [[Pritzker Architecture Prize]], wrote of the London Eye in a book about the project:{{blockquote|The Eye has done for London what the [[Eiffel Tower]] did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.<ref name="TheStoryBehindTheLondonEye">{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Steve |year=2007 |title=Eye: The story behind the London Eye |publisher=Black Dog Publishing |isbn=9781906155087}}</ref>}}{{Wide image|London_360°_Panorama_from_the_London_Eye.jpg|2000px|align-cap=center|Panoramic skyline seen from the Eye, with [[Palace of Westminster]] and [[Big Ben]] to the left, [[Charing Cross railway station]] centre, and [[London Waterloo station|Waterloo railway station]] to the right}}

==Transport links==
The nearest [[London Underground]] station is [[Waterloo tube station|Waterloo]], although [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross]], [[Embankment tube station|Embankment]], and [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]] are also within easy walking distance.<ref>[http://mobile.londoneye.com/visitor-information/how-to-get-here/ How to get here] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513232453/http://mobile.londoneye.com/visitor-information/how-to-get-here/ |date=13 May 2014 }}</ref>

Connection with [[National Rail]] services is made at [[London Waterloo station]] and [[London Waterloo East station]].

[[London River Services]] operated by [[Thames Clippers]] and City Cruises stop at the [[London Eye Pier]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|London Eye}}
* {{Official website|http://www.londoneye.com}}
* [http://www.marksbarfield.com/ Architect's website]
* {{Structurae|id=20002407|title=London Eye}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Daikanransha]]}}
{{S-ttl|title={{Nowrap|[[World's tallest Ferris wheel]]}}|years=2000–2006}}<!-- based on final completion date, not ceremonial opening -->
{{S-aft|after=[[Star of Nanchang]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Ferris wheel}}
{{Merlin attractions}}
{{London landmarks}}
{{LB Lambeth}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Eye, The}}
[[Category:Ferris wheels in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Amusement rides introduced in 2000]]
[[Category:Merlin Entertainments Group]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the River Thames]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Privately owned public spaces]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in England]]