The British Airways London Eye

The British Airways London Eye, the world's largest Ferris wheel, is London's newest tourist attraction. It sits on the South Bank of the Thames, adjacent to Jubilee Gardens and County Hall, and is expected to remain in place for five years.

Conceived by architects Davis Marks and Julia Barfield, built by British Airways and run by the Tussauds group, the Eye has been open to the public from March 2000. A simple yet beautiful construction, it stands some 450ft high (135 metres) and is the sixth tallest structure in London. The glass gondolas are carried on the outside of the wheel, enabling unobstructed views of 25 miles or more. A ride on the Eye lasts just over 30 minutes.

The Eye is an awesome and inspiring stucture simply to look at, not just to ride on. I hope these photographs of it speak for themselves.

Click on any thumbnail image in this gallery to display the corresponding full size image. The images are access protected through a cgi script to prevent hotlinking. If you encounter problems while trying to view the full size images, please read the access advice page.

December 1999 - the Eye is winched into place