The Millennium Eye is a new London attraction that will provide the best view of the city.
A giant Ferris wheel located on the south bank of the River Thames is called the Millennium Eye. At a cost of £35 million to construct and sponsored by British Airways the wheel is one of the London projects to mark the millennium year. The structure promises to offer people the best view across the city.
At 135 metres, it's the fourth tallest structure in London.
An extraordinary feat of engineering, the central spindle of the structure weighs 360 tonnes. The entire wheel weighs the equivalent of four fully laden jumbo jets. The structure was built horizontally on pontoons on the River Thames and then raised into a vertical position. Thirty two viewing capsules were then attached to the structure. Each capsule weighs nine and a half tonnes and features a computerised level system. Each heated and air-conditioned capsule can hold 25 people. The wheel will have the capacity to carry 15,000 people every day.
It takes half an hour to do a full rotation.
The plan is for the Millennium Eye to remain in place for at least five years. Advanced ticket sales are already over half a million.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 29 December 1999. The reporter is Brian O'Connell.
