The Great Wheel, also known as the Gigantic Wheel, or Graydon Wheel, was built for the

Empire of India Exhibition The Empire of India Exhibition took place at Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that sep ...

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Construction began in March 1894 at the works of Maudslay, Sons and Field in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and it opened to the public on 17 July 1895. Modelled on the original

Ferris Wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

which featured at the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in Chicago, US, it was tall and in diameter.Anderson, p97 and weighed about 900 tons. It stayed in service until 1906, by which time its 40 cars (each with a capacity of 30 persons) had carried over 2.5 million passengers. It was demolished in 1907 following its last use with the

Imperial Austrian Exhibition The Imperial Austrian Exhibition world's fair was held at Earl's Court in London in 1906. It opened on 20 June and closed on 6 October. Exhibitions and attractions Three aspects of Austrian society were explored in different themed areas: * There ...

Anderson, p100 of 1906 as it was no longer profitable to run.

References

External links

{{Ferris wheel Ferris wheels in the United Kingdom Former Ferris wheels Demolished buildings and structures in London Buildings and structures completed in 1895 Buildings and structures demolished in 1907 Earls Court 1890s in London 1900s in London