The Wheel of Birmingham or Birmingham Wheel was a series of transportable Ferris wheel installations at Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. These have been landmarks in central Birmingham, visible from many parts of the city. The first opened on 6 November 2003, [1] and its replacement opened on 21 October 2004, [2] both being 60 metres (197 ft) tall.
A third wheel, the Birmingham Mail Wheel, operated from 18 January 2010 until 22 February 2010, and was also 60 m tall. [3]
The first wheel, the Roue de Paris, had originally operated in Paris. When the Birmingham installation opened to the public on Thursday 6 November 2003, the commentary provided was the original French version describing the sights of Paris. [4]
The following year, Roue de Paris moved to Exchange Square, Manchester, and a new wheel was erected at the Birmingham site.
This second wheel was operated by World Tourist Attractions and had commentary by BRMB DJ Phil Upton.[ citation needed ] It had sealed carriages with air conditioning and heating, and a premium "VIP" car.[ citation needed ]
On 5 September 2006, the second wheel closed after it was sold to an Australian company; [5] it was then dismantled and transported to Australia.[ citation needed ]
A Ferris wheel is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity. Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These cars are often referred to as capsules or pods.
The Bull Ring is a major shopping area in central Birmingham England, and has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages, when its market was first held. Two shopping centres have been built in the area; in the 1960s, and then in 2003; the latter is styled as one word, Bullring. When coupled with Grand Central it forms the United Kingdom's largest city centre based shopping centre, styled as Bullring & Grand Central.
The Roue de Paris is a 60-metre (200 ft) tall transportable Ferris wheel, originally installed on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, for the 2000 millennium celebrations. It left Paris in 2002 and has since then seen service at numerous other locations around the world.
Perrott's Folly, grid reference SP047862, also known as The Monument, or The Observatory, is a 29-metre (96-foot) tall tower, built in 1758. It is a Grade II* listed building in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Carl Steven Alfred Chinn, is an English historian, writer and broadcaster whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham. He broadcast a programme on the BBC from the mid-1990s focusing on Birmingham's history.
Exchange Square is a civic square in Manchester, England. The square was created after the 1996 Manchester bombing by the IRA. This reconstruction included the structural relocation of two pubs to make room for the new Marks & Spencer store.
The Grande Roue de Paris was a 96-metre (315 ft) tall Ferris wheel built in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle world exhibition at Paris. Financing the "Grande Roue de Paris" happened by the creation of the "Paris Gigantic Wheel and Varieties Company" and selling the shares of this company.
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and approximately 4.3 million in the wider metropolitan area. It is the largest UK metropolitan area outside of London. Birmingham is commonly referred to as the second city of the United Kingdom.
The Belfast Wheel was a 60-metre (200 ft) tall transportable Ferris wheel installation in the centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the grounds on the east side of Belfast City Hall. It operated from November 2007 to April 2010.
The Air-Rail Link is a people mover linking Birmingham Airport with Birmingham International railway station and the National Exhibition Centre in England. The current system, originally known as SkyRail, replaced the earlier Birmingham Maglev system in 2003.
The Wheel of Sheffield is a 60-metre (197 ft) tall transportable Ferris wheel installation on Fargate, by City Hall, in Sheffield, England. It first appeared from July 2009 until November 2010 and is now erected seasonally as a temporary structure.
Technocosmos, later renamed Technostar, was an 85-metre (279 ft) tall giant Ferris wheel that was built for the Expo '85 World Fair in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It carried almost 3 million passengers during the exposition.
Ronald A. Bussink has been a leading designer of giant Ferris wheels and similar structures for over 25 years. Bussink entered the amusement industry market in 1985 and designed, manufactured, and delivered more than 60 giant observation wheels between 1990 and 2005.
The River, locally known as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi, is an artwork in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England.
The Wheel of Manchester was a transportable Ferris wheel installation at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, England. The wheel was originally a smaller installation based in Exchange Square, first assembled in 2004. The wheel's size was increased to 60 metres (197 ft) in 2007, and plans existed to increase this further. However, these plans were never submitted. The wheel was dismantled in 2012 to make way for 2012 Olympics celebrations and Metrolink construction work. In 2013, a new 52.7-metre (173 ft) wheel was installed in Piccadilly Gardens. It was dismantled in June 2015.
The Brighton Wheel, also known during its planning and construction phase as the Brighton O and the Wheel of Excellence, was a transportable Ferris wheel installation which operated from October 2011 until May 2016 on the seafront in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Situated below the East Cliff near Brighton Pier and built with private funding, its promoters anticipated that several hundred thousand visitors per year would experience the 12-minute ride. The wheel's location in a conservation area with many residential buildings proved controversial.
The Wheel of Liverpool is a transportable Ferris wheel installation on the Keel Wharf waterfront of the River Mersey in Liverpool. The wheel is near to M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, and was originally opened on 25 March 2010. It was dismantled for refurbishment in the Netherlands in November 2020 and rebuilt in Spring 2021. The structure is 196 feet (60 m) tall, weighing 365 tonnes and has 42 fully enclosed capsules attached. The wheel had been planned for three years by the company Great City Attractions. They submitted a planning application which explained that it would increase tourism in Liverpool. A smaller observation wheel had been operational in the city, which was located at the Liverpool One leisure complex. This was dismantled because of the plans to open the Wheel of Liverpool. Construction was completed on 11 February 2010 at a cost of £6 million.
La Grande roue de Montréal is a Ferris wheel built at the Old Port of Montreal, Quebec, Canada for the festivities for the 375th anniversary of the city. Open to the public since 1 September 2017, it is the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada. It is owned by Sandibe Global BV.