Wheels Entertainments

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Wheels Entertainments, [1] [2] [3] [4] sometimes referred to by the press as Wheels Entertainment, [5] [6] is a company engaged in the operation of large transportable Ferris wheels. Based at Shenstone, in Lichfield, Staffordshire, it is the UK operations arm of Dubai-based Freij Entertainment International. [3]

Ferris wheel amusement ride

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 wheels are sometimes referred to as observation wheels and their cars referred to as capsules. However, these alternative names are also used for wheels with conventional gravity-oriented cars.

Shenstone, Staffordshire village in the United Kingdom

Shenstone is a village and civil parish in Lichfield, England, close to Stonnall and between Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield.

Lichfield Cathedral city in Staffordshire, England

Lichfield is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly 16 mi (26 km) north of Birmingham, 9 miles (14 km) from Walsall and 13 miles (21 km) from Burton Upon Trent. At the time of the 2011 Census the population was estimated at 32,219 and the wider Lichfield District at 100,700.

Contents

History

In January 2013 The Press [3] and others [7] reported that the British-based Ferris wheels previously operated by Great City Attractions Global, which included wheels installed in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth, and York, had been purchased for an undisclosed sum by Freij Entertainment International, the world's biggest fun fair company, [7] and would be operated by Staffordshire-based [5] Wheels Entertainments. [3]

The Press is the local daily paper for a substantial area of North and East Yorkshire, based in the city of York. It is printed by the Newsquest (York) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Newsquest Media Group.

Great City Attractions Limited, also known as Great City Attractions Global, was a company engaged in the operation of large transportable Ferris wheels. Based in Sutton Coldfield, UK, it was incorporated in 2008. It went into administration in July 2012 and ceased trading the following month.

Wheel of Manchester

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.

Ferris wheel installations

In May 2013 the Blackpool Gazette reported [5] that agents submitting a planning application on behalf of Wheels Entertainments to Blackpool Council had stated that "the applicants currently have wheels in York, Liverpool and Plymouth but they have also operated successfully elsewhere including in Brighton, Weston-Super-Mare and in the city centres of Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield and Derby", however this list includes wheels previously operated by Great City Attractions and which had ceased operating at the time of the purchase of Great City Attractions' assets by Freij Entertainment International.

The Blackpool Gazette is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as The West Lancashire Evening Gazette in 1929 before being renamed the Evening Gazette, and then Blackpool Gazette. The paper's history dates back to a weekly publication founded in 1873.

Blackpool

In May 2013 Wheels Entertainments applied to Blackpool Council for a five-year planning permission for a 60-metre (197 ft) wheel with 42 passenger capsules to be installed on the headland just north of Blackpool's South Pier. [5]

South Pier, Blackpool pier in Blackpool, England

South Pier is one of three piers in Blackpool, England. Located on South Promenade on the South Shore, the pier contains a number of amusement and adrenalin rides. It opens each year from March to November and is owned by The Sedgwick family.

Plymouth

The Wheel of Plymouth [8] first opened in 2011 and is 53 metres (174 ft) tall. It is open daily from 10am until 7pm. [9]

In March 2013 the Western Morning News reported [10] that Wheels Entertainments had applied for an extension to its planning permission, first granted in October 2011 and then renewed until the end of 2012, to enable the wheel to remain in place until 28 February 2014. The application was approved, with the proviso that the wheel not operate during remembrance events such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

The Western Morning News is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England.

Armistice Day Commemoration on November 11 of the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany in 1918

Armistice Day is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France at 5:45 am, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. But, according to Thomas R. Gowenlock, an intelligence officer with the U.S. First Division, shelling from both sides continued for the rest of the day, only ending at nightfall. The armistice initially expired after a period of 36 days and had to be extended several times. A formal peace agreement was only reached when the Treaty of Versailles was signed the following year.

Remembrance Sunday a day in the United Kingdom to honour those who served in the World Wars and future conflicts

Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day "to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts". It is held at 11am on the second Sunday in November.

York

Yorkshire Wheel, 2012 York Wheel (7177956161).jpg
Yorkshire Wheel, 2012
Coordinates: 53°57′33″N1°05′29″W / 53.9591°N 1.0914°W / 53.9591; -1.0914

The second Yorkshire Wheel, also known as the Wheel of York [11] or York Wheel, had 42 passenger capsules, including one luxury VIP capsule with glass floor, leather interior and DVD player. It was open from 10am until 9pm on weekdays, 9am to 9pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 8pm on Sundays. [12] The 53.3-metre (175 ft) [6] tall wheel was located in the gardens of The Royal York Hotel and operated from 13 December 2011 until 30 September 2013

Its predecessor was a 54-metre (177 ft) wheel that operated at the National Railway Museum from 12 April 2006 until 2 November 2008.

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London Eye ferris wheel in London, England

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Ferris Wheel the original Ferris Wheel, designed and built as the centerpiece of the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois

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Exchange Square, Manchester civic square in Manchester, England

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Yorkshire Wheel Former ferris wheels in York, England

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Great Wheel Corporation company

Great Wheel Corporation was a company engaged in the development, building, financing, and operation of Ferris wheels, which they often termed "observation wheels" or "observation platforms".

Belfast Wheel

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.

Wheel of Sheffield

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Great Wheel former ferris wheel in London

The Great Wheel, also known as the Gigantic Wheel, was built for the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court, London, in the United Kingdom. Construction began in March 1894 at the works of Maudslay, Sons and Field in Greenwich and it opened to the public on 17 July 1895. Modelled on the original Ferris Wheel which featured at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, US, it was 94 metres (308 ft) tall and 82.3 metres (270 ft) in diameter. and weighed about 900 Tons. It stayed in service until 1906, by which time its 40 cars had carried over 2.5 million passengers. It was demolished in 1907 following its last use at the Imperial Austrian Exhibition.

Ronald Bussink

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 Ferris wheels between 1990 and 2005.

The Wheel of Dublin, also known as Revolver, was a transportable Ferris wheel installation in the Dublin Docklands in the North Wall area of Dublin, Ireland. Commissioned by Harry Crosbie and operated by World Tourist Attractions, it opened to the public in July 2010 and was closed and dismantled 16 months later in November 2011.

Brighton Wheel

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.

Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center is a cultural center in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It was officially opened to the public on May 18, 2012. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

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Wheel of Liverpool Ferris wheel on the Keel Wharf waterfront of the River Mersey in Liverpool.

The Wheel of Liverpool is a transportable Ferris wheel installation on the Keel Wharf waterfront of the River Mersey in Liverpool. The wheel is in close proximity to M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, and was opened on 25 March 2010. The structure is 196 feet (60 m) tall, weighs 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.

References

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