The Wheel of Manchester was a transportable

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 ...

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 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 wheel was installed in Piccadilly Gardens. It was dismantled in June 2015.

History

2004–2007

The first wheel was first installed in 2004 which was a success and consequently a larger wheel was erected in May 2007.

2007–2012

The wheel returned in May 2007 and was sponsored by the

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

. A larger wheel was initially planned for 2008, but it was never installed. In 2010, Manchester City Council proposed a wheel, to be operated by World Tourist Attractions, as a replacement for the existing transportable installation, with Piccadilly Gardens the possible site and completion expected by Christmas 2011. The installation was later taken over by Great City Attractions when World Tourist Attractions merged with Great Wheel Corporation. In 2011 it became known as The Capital Wheel of Manchester, through a sponsorship deal with Capital FM. Although plans for a larger wheel were not publicly rejected, they never materialised. The wheel was removed in April 2012. Great City Attractions recommended to move the wheel to another area of the city such as Piccadilly Gardens, but this was rejected with the Council airing concerns about the wheel limiting space in Piccadilly. Manchester City Council stated that they thought the wheel had "probably run its course in terms of an attraction" since its opening in 2004. The Council also added that space in Exchange Square was required for a number of reasons, including public viewing space for the 2012 Olympics and space for adjacent redevelopment projects, such as Exchange Square Metrolink station, the Metrolink second city crossing on Corporation Street, and the renovation of The Triangle. Following its last day of operation on 15 April 2012, it was dismantled and moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. The removal of the Ferris wheel was welcomed by some who believed the wheel had run its course as an attraction.

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder o ...

, one of Manchester's most famous cultural patrons, hated the Ferris wheel stating: "It ruins a perfectly good square and it's a poor imitation of something London's done a lot better. We shouldn't be doing it."

2013–2015

In 2013, a new wheel returned to Manchester to replace the original for New Years celebrations. However, this wheel was located at Piccadilly Gardens. A disagreement between Manchester City Council and the owners Wheels Entertainments arose after the licence to run the attraction ran out in April 2015.

References

{{Coord, 53.48433, N, 2.24310, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Transportable Ferris wheels Tourist attractions in Manchester Buildings and structures in Manchester 2012 disestablishments in England 2015 disestablishments in England Piccadilly Gardens