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The British Airways London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, opened in 1999 and is the largest observation wheel in the world It stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in Lambeth, London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges (Coordinates: 51°30′12″N, 00°07′11″W) The wheel is adjacent to London's County Hall, and stands opposite the offices of the Ministry of Defence

Designed by architects David Blian, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton and Nic Bailey, the wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference It rotates at 026 metres (085 feet) per second (about 09 km/h or 05 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers: the rotation rate is so slow that they can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely

The rim of the Eye is supported by tie rods and resembles a huge spoked bicycle wheel, and was depicted as such in a poster advertising a charity cycle race

The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoons Once the wheel was complete it was raised into an upright position by cranes, being lifted at 2 degrees an hour until it reached 65 degrees

It was opened by British Prime Minister Tony Blair at 20:00 GMT on December 31, 1999, although it was not opened to the public until March 2000 because of technical problems Since its opening, the Eye, operated by The Tussauds Group but sponsored by British Airways, has become a major landmark and tourist attraction

By July 2002, roughly 85 million people had ridden the Eye It had planning permission only for five years, but at that time Lambeth Council agreed to plans to make the attraction permanent

Although the Eye is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest observation wheel in the world, it is unlikely to keep that title for long Plans have been announced to build a 170 m wheel on the Las Vegas Strip and a 185 m wheel dubbed "Giant Wheel" planned to open in 2008 in Berlin (By comparison, the original Ferris wheel at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition was 75 m high)

On the 28th of August 2003 David Blaine famously stood on one of the capsules, as it went around for a full 30 minute cycle, in preparation for his 'Above the Below' stunt

Since 1 January 2005, the Eye has been the focal point of London's New Year celebrations, with 10-minute fireworks displays taking place involving fireworks fired from the wheel itself

As of 2006, Tussauds owns 100% of the Eye, with British Airways continuing its brand association with the landmark Tussauds, British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (the lead architects) had previously owned a third of the Eye each, with the airline also providing the original construction loans

It was announced in 2006 that the Tussauds Group £85 Annual Pass could also be used on the London Eye

On 25 May 2005 there were reports of a leaked letter showing that the South Bank Centre — 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 per year to £25 million, which the operators rejected as unaffordable

The South Bank Centre and the British Airways London Eye agreed a 25-year lease on 8 February 2006, after a judicial review over the rent row The lease agreement meant that the South Bank Centre, a publicly-funded charity, would receive at least £500,000 a year from the attraction, the status of which is secured for the foreseeable future Tussauds also announced that the acquisition of the entire one-third interests of British Airways and the Marks Barfield family in the Eye, as well as the outstanding debt to BA These agreements gave Tussauds 100% ownership of the Eye and resolved a debt problem from the Eye's original construction loan from British Airways that had stood at more than £150 million by mid-2005 and had been increasing at 25% per annum

According to the BBC History Magazine, January 2007 issue, there was a predecessor to the London Eye called the "Great Wheel of London" Capable of carrying 1200 people, it was built in Earl's Court in 1895 and closed in 1906 after a problem trapped 74 people for four and a half hours

Landmarks that can be seen from the London Eye

• One Canada Square
  
• HSBC Tower, London
  
• Citigroup Centre
  
• 30 St Mary Axe
  
• Tower 42
  
• Trafalgar Square
  
• Palace of Westminster
  
• Westminster Bridge

Nearest rail and tube stations

National Rail
Waterloo station

London Underground
Westminster tube station (Jubilee, District, Circle lines)
Waterloo station (Waterloo & City, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern lines)

Address: Riverside Building
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road
London   SE1 7PB
Tel: 0870 5000600