Tip - The London Eye: Fun Facts

The London Eye: Fun Facts The EDF Energy London Eye is one of London’s most popular attractions, with around three million visitors every single year.  In fact, it annually gets more visitors than the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramids of Giza!  Construction began in 2008 and, originally named the Millennium Wheel, it was built to celebrate the coming of the new millennium (along with other, less well-fated attractions such as the Millennium Dome – now the O2 arena). The London Eye is not the first wheel of its kind to find itself in London.  Its predecessor, The Great Wheel was built in 1895 as part of the Empire of India Exhibition, but was dismantled in 1907 after an estimated two million people had ridden it.   The modern London Eye has prompted a similar level of enthusiasm.  Here are some fun facts about the London Eye that you may not have known: The structure cost a massive £75 million to build but proved so popular that it had recouped its costs within just a few short months.