London Eye
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, its official name was originally the British Airways London Eye, then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, and since January 2011, the EDF Energy London Eye.
The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is currently Europe's tallest Ferris wheel, the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in popular culture.
When erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006 and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel". It offered the highest public viewing point in the city until it was superseded by the 245-metre (804 ft) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.
The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
The large building on the left is the Shell Centre, which is one of the two "central offices" of oil major Shell (the other is in The Hague). Shell Centre is located on the Belvedere Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a prominent feature on the South Bank.
Shell Centre was constructed in 1961, to a design by Sir Howard Robertson, and the tower stands at 107 metres (351 ft) with 27 storeys (26 numbered and a mezzanine level) and extends three storeys below ground. The tower was the first London office tower to exceed the height of the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster. It replaced the Midland Grand Hotel as the tallest storied building in London, and the Royal Liver Building as the tallest in the United Kingdom. On completion the building also held the record for the largest office building, by floor space, in Europe.
The current Shell Centre comprises the tower building and three adjoining nine-storey wings (collectively formerly known as the "Upstream Building"). The original development also included a separate building known as the "Downstream Building", which was separated from the Upstream Building by the railway viaduct between Charing Cross and Waterloo East. The Downstream Building was disposed of by Shell in the 1990s and is now a block of residential apartments known as the White House, and has been heightened by a storey.
The lower and colourfully lit building on the right of and next to the London Eye is County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall, LCH) which was once the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council (GLC). The building is just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of Westminster. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster.
Today County Hall is the site of businesses and attractions, including the London Sea Life Aquarium, a permanent exhibition of works by the artist-in residence, Nasser Azam, and a Namco Station amusement arcade. The London Eye's visitor centre is inside the building. There is also a suite of exhibition rooms which was home to the Saatchi Gallery from 2003 to 2006, and is now home for the London Film Museum. Other parts of the building house two hotels (a budget Premier Inn & a 5 star Marriott Hotel), several restaurants, and some flats. Various spaces are available for hire for functions, including the council chamber at the heart of the building. Until January 2010 the Dali Universe was also in the building but this has now closed and will be reopening in another venue soon.
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. While it is best known for flowing through London, the river also flows alongside other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames, and Windsor.
The river gives its name to three informal areas: the Thames Valley, a region of England around the river between Oxford and west London; the Thames Gateway; and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself. Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from the river, covering three counties.
In an alternative name, derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock in south west London, the lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway.
The administrative powers of the Thames Conservancy have been taken on with modifications by the Environment Agency and, in respect of the Tideway part of the river, such powers are split between the agency and the Port of London Authority.
In non-administrative use, stemming directly from the river and its name are Thames Valley University, Thames Water, Thames Television productions, Thames & Hudson publishing, Thameslink (north-south railways passing through central London), and South Thames College. Historic entities include the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company.
Two canals link the river to other river basins: the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Grand Union Canal, westward and northward respectively. Two further cross-basin canals are disused but are under reconstruction: the Thames and Severn Canal (via Stroud), which operated until 1927 (to the west coast of England), and the Wey and Arun Canal to Littlehampton, which operated until 1871 (to the south coast).
Rowing and sailing clubs are common along the Thames, which is navigable to such vessels. Kayaking and canoeing also take place. Safe headwaters and reaches are a summer venue for organised swimming, which is prohibited on safety grounds in a stretch centred on Central London. Non-Olympic watersports with a lesser presence include skiffing and punting.
The bows of the PS Tattershall Castle is in the foreground and is now moored on the River Thames at the Embankment, and is used as a floating pub and restaurant. It was recently refitted at a cost of several million pounds.
The steamer was built in 1934 as a passenger ferry on the River Humber between Kingston upon Hull and New Holland. It found service as a tether for barrage balloons during the Second World War. In 1981, after long service as a passenger and goods ferry, the ship was towed to London. The opening of the Humber Bridge made the ferry service, known to have existed since at least Roman times, redundant.
A sister ship also launched in 1934, the PS Wingfield Castle, is preserved at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience.
A third similar Humber ferry, the PS Lincoln Castle, built in 1940, was scrapped in Autumn 2010.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Centre
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Hall,_London
London Eye
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, its official name was originally the British Airways London Eye, then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, and since January 2011, the EDF Energy London Eye.
The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is currently Europe's tallest Ferris wheel, the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in popular culture.
When erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006 and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel". It offered the highest public viewing point in the city until it was superseded by the 245-metre (804 ft) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.
The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
The large building on the left is the Shell Centre, which is one of the two "central offices" of oil major Shell (the other is in The Hague). Shell Centre is located on the Belvedere Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a prominent feature on the South Bank.
Shell Centre was constructed in 1961, to a design by Sir Howard Robertson, and the tower stands at 107 metres (351 ft) with 27 storeys (26 numbered and a mezzanine level) and extends three storeys below ground. The tower was the first London office tower to exceed the height of the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster. It replaced the Midland Grand Hotel as the tallest storied building in London, and the Royal Liver Building as the tallest in the United Kingdom. On completion the building also held the record for the largest office building, by floor space, in Europe.
The current Shell Centre comprises the tower building and three adjoining nine-storey wings (collectively formerly known as the "Upstream Building"). The original development also included a separate building known as the "Downstream Building", which was separated from the Upstream Building by the railway viaduct between Charing Cross and Waterloo East. The Downstream Building was disposed of by Shell in the 1990s and is now a block of residential apartments known as the White House, and has been heightened by a storey.
The lower and colourfully lit building on the right of and next to the London Eye is County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall, LCH) which was once the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council (GLC). The building is just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of Westminster. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster.
Today County Hall is the site of businesses and attractions, including the London Sea Life Aquarium, a permanent exhibition of works by the artist-in residence, Nasser Azam, and a Namco Station amusement arcade. The London Eye's visitor centre is inside the building. There is also a suite of exhibition rooms which was home to the Saatchi Gallery from 2003 to 2006, and is now home for the London Film Museum. Other parts of the building house two hotels (a budget Premier Inn & a 5 star Marriott Hotel), several restaurants, and some flats. Various spaces are available for hire for functions, including the council chamber at the heart of the building. Until January 2010 the Dali Universe was also in the building but this has now closed and will be reopening in another venue soon.
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. While it is best known for flowing through London, the river also flows alongside other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames, and Windsor.
The river gives its name to three informal areas: the Thames Valley, a region of England around the river between Oxford and west London; the Thames Gateway; and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself. Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from the river, covering three counties.
In an alternative name, derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock in south west London, the lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway.
The administrative powers of the Thames Conservancy have been taken on with modifications by the Environment Agency and, in respect of the Tideway part of the river, such powers are split between the agency and the Port of London Authority.
In non-administrative use, stemming directly from the river and its name are Thames Valley University, Thames Water, Thames Television productions, Thames & Hudson publishing, Thameslink (north-south railways passing through central London), and South Thames College. Historic entities include the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company.
Two canals link the river to other river basins: the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Grand Union Canal, westward and northward respectively. Two further cross-basin canals are disused but are under reconstruction: the Thames and Severn Canal (via Stroud), which operated until 1927 (to the west coast of England), and the Wey and Arun Canal to Littlehampton, which operated until 1871 (to the south coast).
Rowing and sailing clubs are common along the Thames, which is navigable to such vessels. Kayaking and canoeing also take place. Safe headwaters and reaches are a summer venue for organised swimming, which is prohibited on safety grounds in a stretch centred on Central London. Non-Olympic watersports with a lesser presence include skiffing and punting.
The bows of the PS Tattershall Castle is in the foreground and is now moored on the River Thames at the Embankment, and is used as a floating pub and restaurant. It was recently refitted at a cost of several million pounds.
The steamer was built in 1934 as a passenger ferry on the River Humber between Kingston upon Hull and New Holland. It found service as a tether for barrage balloons during the Second World War. In 1981, after long service as a passenger and goods ferry, the ship was towed to London. The opening of the Humber Bridge made the ferry service, known to have existed since at least Roman times, redundant.
A sister ship also launched in 1934, the PS Wingfield Castle, is preserved at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience.
A third similar Humber ferry, the PS Lincoln Castle, built in 1940, was scrapped in Autumn 2010.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Centre
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Hall,_London