The London Eye began as a proposal for a millennium landmark and became a permanent part of the Thames skyline. Its slow rotation gives visitors a moving panorama, while the wheel itself reflects a late-twentieth-century ambition to reshape London’s public image.
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The wheel turns slowly enough that the river and skyline seem to shift around you even before you board. The London Eye began as a 1993 proposal by architects David Marks and Julia Barfield for a landmark celebrating the millennium.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield proposed the wheel in 1993.
- It was intended as a temporary millennium structure before becoming permanent.
- The London Eye began carrying passengers in March 2000.
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