Text #2. The London Eye

A recent but already very popular tourist attraction is the London Eye, a giant observation wheel located in the Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank. The 135 meter tall structure was built as part of London's millennium celebrations.

A Landmark for the new Millennium

The structure was designed by the architectural team of David Marks and Julia Barfield, husband and wifeThey submitted their idea for a large observation wheel as part of a competition to design a landmark for the new millennium.None of the entrants won the competition, but the couple pressed on and eventually got the backing of British Airways, who sponsored the project.

Construction

Construction of the observation wheel took more than a year and a half to complete. In the process over 1700 tonnes of steel were used. More than 3000 tonnes of concrete were used for the foundations. The futuristic looking capsules, accommodating up to 25 passengers, were transported all the way from France through the chunnel. Each egg-shaped capsule is 8 meters long and weighs 500kg. The 25 meter long spindle was built in the Czech Republic. The rim has a diameter of 122m, about 200 times the size of a bicycle wheel. 80 Spokes connect the rim with the spindle.

The Observation Wheel

The observation wheel turns slow enough for people to embark while it is moving. A complete turn takes about 30 minutes. Thanks to the construction of the glass capsules on the outer side of the rim, the passengers have a great 360° view over London. Many famous landmarks are clearly visible, including the Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. On a clear day you can see as far as 40 km (25 miles).

Make sure you get your tickets in advance, lines can be very long, both the lines for embarking and for ticket purchases. It's less crowded at night when the views are even more spectacular.

Text #3. The Millenium Dome, London

The Millennium Dome is an exhibition hall built on the Meridian Line in Greenwich to celebrate the start of the new Millennium.

In 1994, the Chairman of what would later become the New Millennium Experience company suggested a national exhibition to be held as part of the country’s millennium celebrations. The project, to funded mainly by the National Lottery, was revised when Tony Blair became the new Prime Minister in 1997. He declared that the exhibition, to be held in Greenwich, would open a window on the future. The focus would be on entertainment and education (also dubbed ‘edutainment’). This resulted in 14 themed zones, including Faith, Talk, Mind, Rest, Home Planet, Body and Learning.

The Millennium Exhibition

The project was controversial from the start. The Millennium Dome, with an estimated cost of £750 million, was disliked by many Londoners, who did not see it as a proper symbol for their city. Due to the focus on education and the high entrance fee, the Dome did not attract as many visitors as originally forecasted: a total of 7 million people visited the exposition, compared to the original estimate of 12 million visitors. Even with each of the separate themes in the Dome sponsored by major corporations, the project had a serious budget deficit. The millennium exhibition ran until the end of 2000.

A Sports and Entertainment Complex

The millennium dome is now converted into a 20.000 capacity sports and entertainment complex. It will be used during the 2012 Olympics as the venue for gymnastics (artistic/trampolining), basketball finals and handball finals.

The Dome's Structure

The cover of the Dome is made of PTFE-coated glass fiber, which has an estimated minimum lifetime of 25 years. The structure, designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership is 320m in diameter and 50 meters high at its center. It is twice the size of the Wembley stadion and covers 20 acres of ground floor space. The structure is expected to last until 2018. After that year, developers are allowed to demolish the dome and redevelop the site.

Location

The Dome, located near the Thames across Canary Wharf, can be reached via the Jubilee line. The underground station is the largest in Europe.