The London Eye

The world's highest observation wheel (a type of Ferris wheel).

The British Airways London Eye (Millennium Wheel) stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is the world's highest observation wheel.

The London Eye		County Hall

The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the river Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on pontoons. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes, initially being lifted at a rate of about 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees.

The London Eye as seen from Westminster Bridge with the London Aquarium and County Hall to the right

The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes.

A single rotation takes 30 minutes, at a perimeter speed of 26cm per second. There are 32 capsules, each weighing 10 tonnes with a capacity of 25 people, enabling the wheel to carry 800 people per single revolution. Allegedly there are 32 capsules because there are 32 Boroughs of London

Royal Air Force Memorial
A golden eagle looking eastwards towards Japan.

The building behind the memorial is the Ministry of Defence	The Royal Air Force Memorial

The Royal Air Force memorial stands on the north bank of the Thames between Westminster and Waterloo. It commemorates those men who died in the First World War who served in the Royal Air Force.

Flood Prevention

The high wall of the Thames' Embankments help protect London from flooding.

Hungerford Railway Bridge

Hungerford Railway bridge taking trains into Charing Cross Station

Hungerford Bridge is a bridge (or triplet of bridges). It comprises a railway bridge — sometimes known as the Charing Cross Bridge — flanked by two cable-stayed pedestrian bridges that share the railway bridge's foundation piers, and which are properly named the Golden Jubilee Bridges.

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