The wheel was constructed with components from Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and France and were raised from the horizontal to the vertical from the river Thames. |
32 capsules measuring 8 metres (26 feet) in length and 4 metres (13 feet) in diameter can accommodate up to 800 people and afford a view of 25 miles (40 kilometres), weather permitting. |
The capsules each weigh .5 tonnes with glass which is double-curved and laminated and their curved shape increases strength whilst minimising wind-drag on the whole structure. |
The weight of the wheel is 640 tonnes, the boarding platform is 6.2 metres (20.3 feet) wide and 58 metres (190 feet) long and weighs 98 tonnes. |
The spindle, which is made by Skoda Steel, is 25 metres (82 feet) long and weighs 350 tonnes. The A-frame is 70 metres (229.6 feet) long, weighs 310 tonnes and each leg can take a compression load of 1,000 tonnes. |
The cables comprise 16 rim rotation cables, 64 spoke cables and 6 backstay cables, whilst the compression foundation sited underneath the A-frame legs called for 2,200 tonnes of concrete with 44 concrete piles, each of which is 33 metres (108 feet) deep. |
The tension foundation, which holds the backstay cables, utilised 1,200 tonnes of concrete. |
The entire structure weighs 1,900 tonnes with each single cable weighing 1.5 tonnes whilst the passenger rotates with the wheel at 0.3 metres (0.98 feet) per second. |
The capsules are situated on the outer rim so as not to have their view impeded by the wheel whilst their attitude is computer-controlled. |
The wheel rotates continuously save for when access is required by the mobility-impaired or wheelchair users. |
The London Eye is not - strictly speaking - a Ferris wheel, due in part to the nature of its support structure and its enclosed passenger capsules. |
The capsules were constructed by ski-lift cabin manufacturer Sigma Composite, whilst the capsules' control systems were manufactured by SEMER. |
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The BA London Eye has been acknowledged by the Los Angeles-based Themed Entertainment Association as being an internationally recognisable city icon. |
The BA London Eye is London's highest public vantage point. |
This was the world's tallest ferris wheel until the erection of the  Star of Nanchang in 2006. |
Phenomenally successful as both a tourist attraction and universally recognisable city landmark, the Eye was the first of the new generation of 21st century super ferris wheels to have sprung up around the world. |
Completed in 1999, the Eye didn't open to the public until March 2000 despite a schedule which envisioned it being in operation to usher in the so-called millennium eve of 1999/2000. |
On opening, the capsules each had their own guides who would give a commentary on the city as it unfolded below. |
The Eye atracts upwards of 3.5 million visitors per annum. |
The London Eye has won in excess of 75 accolades for national and international tourism, engineering achievement and for the quality of its architecture. |
Awards garnered include TripAdvisor.com's 'Best Attraction in Europe' (2007), The World Travel Awards' 'World's Leading Attraction' (2004), The 2003 Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation, and Travellers' Choice Awards 'Best Millennium Attraction' (2001). |
The London Eye was a RIBA award winner 1999. |
