London Eye Turns 20

The London Eye turns 20 today, here are some interesting facts about the London eye that you may not have known.

• The Eye was due to be dismantled in 2005 but due to it’s popularity its lease was extended for another 25 years.
• In 2011 EDF Energy became their official sponsor.
• In 2012 each pod was taken down, floated downriver to the Tilbury Docks in Essex and popped on the back of a truck to Worcester to be refurbished.
• The London Eye reached their 50 millionth visitor in 2013.
• It turns 20 on 9th March 2020.
• It is four times wider that the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral.
• The 80 spokes laid together would stretch for 60km – the distance from Trafalgar Square to Canary Wharf.
• The hub and spindle weigh in at 330 tonnes, equivalent to 49 double decker buses and 20 times heavier than Big Ben.
• The total weight of the wheel and pods is 2,100 tonnes – as much as 1,272 black cabs .
• In one year the London Eye will rotate 7,668 times, or 2,300 miles – as far as London to Cairo, Egypt.
• The London Eye can carry 800 guests per rotation – equivalent to 11 London red double decker buses.
• Supermodel Kate Moss holds the record for the UK celebrity that’s enjoyed the most rotations, standing at 25.
• Hollywood star Jessica Alba holds the record for an overseas celebrity that’s enjoyed the most rotations, standing at 31
• There have been over 5,000 marriage proposals since it opened.
• The London Eye receives more visitors annually that ancient wonders of the world like the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and even the Great Pyramids of Giza.
• The London Eye began as an entry to a competition in 1993 organised by the Sunday Times.
• The pods are numbered 1 to 33 skipping 13 with superstitious passengers in mind.
• Each pod weighs 10 tonnes, as much as 1 million pound coins.
• It’s first full rotation on New Years Eve 1999.
• Officially opened to the public on 9th March 2000.

Members can visit the London Eye with our discounted ticket offer