Yorkshire Wheel was the name used by two 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 ...

installations at different locations in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England. The first installation, at the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...

, operated from 12 April 2006 until 2 November 2008. The second installation, at

The Principal York The Principal York is an historic Grade II listed building on Station Road, adjacent to York railway station, England. It is a five-storey building of yellow Scarborough brick and was completed in 1878, a year after the present station opene ...

, operated from 13 December 2011 until 30 September 2013. It was also known as the Wheel of York or York Wheel.Freij World Attractions , Our Wheels , The Wheel of York
During 2014, the official website carried the message "Now Closed - Reopening 2014".

2006 installation

:''Coordinates:'' The Yorkshire Wheel was originally intended to be placed in the Tower Gardens on the other side of the River Ouse, opposite Cliffords Tower; however, because of residents' protests, the

site was preferred by the City of York Council. Planning permission was for three years. In its first six months, the wheel carried 200,000 passengers. It was the first wheel of its kind in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, and was inspired by the London Eye which opened a few years earlier. At , it was somewhat smaller than the of the London Eye, but could be no higher than

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

, York's skyline height limit. The operation of the wheel differed from that of the London Eye: visitors were allowed several rotations, and the wheel stopped to load and unload passengers. It had 42 passenger gondolas, including a

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

gondola with glass floor, screen, radio, and leather interior. Like the rest of the National Railway Museum, it was licensed as a venue for weddings, and weddings did indeed take place there.

Speed dating Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process which has the purpose of encouraging eligible singles to meet large numbers of new potential partners in a very short period of time. Organization Usually advance registration is required for ...

on St. Valentine's Day in 2007 also took place.

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva ...

, which has its headquarters in York, were the sponsors of the wheel, but that ended in late July 2007, after which the

White Rose of York The White Rose of York (Latinised as ''rosa alba'', blazoned as ''a rose argent'') is a white heraldic rose which was adopted in the 14th century as a heraldic badge of the royal House of York. In modern times it is used more broadly as a s ...

was added to the wheel's centre. On the wheel's first anniversary, it was reported to have completed 32,500 revolutions. In March 2008, tourist chiefs for the city called for the wheel to become a permanent fixture beyond its three years. On 27 August 2008, the local newspaper ''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

'' reported that the wheel might be moved to another site in the city, although a day later the opposition of conservation groups was noted. The wheel turned for its final time in its original location on Sunday 2 November 2008. It was subsequently dismantled and was expected to be shipped abroad.

2009 proposal

In December 2008 local media announced that plans would be put forward "within weeks" for the relocation of the wheel to the riverside. A news article in ''The Press'' on 10 January 2009 stated that 42 per cent of local people backed the wheel being relocated to the North Street site in the centre of the city. ''The Press'' reported on 20 January 2009 that local councillors had rejected the relocation of the wheel, though talks were still ongoing on 20 February 2009, and on 10 March 2009 the paper reported a possible move to another site, St. George's Field car park, though councillors had still not agreed to the move, though the talks passed their first stage by 18 March. ''The Press'' reported on 10 July 2009 that there had been many objections to the relocation of the wheel, and that it may never return to the city. Plans for the return of the wheel were withdrawn on 14 July 2009.

2011 installation

:''Coordinates:'' On 2 December 2010 it was announced that the wheel was set to return to York, ready to be up and running by 2011. The wheel finally looked set for a return in news announced in October 2011. After construction in

gardens was delayed for a few days by high winds, the operator, Great City Attractions, opened the tall wheel to the public at 4:45 pm on Tuesday 13 December 2011. In July 2012 Great City Attractions went into administration. All its British wheels were bought by Dubai-based Freij Entertainment International, for operation by its UK subsidiary

Wheels Entertainments Wheels Entertainments, sometimes referred to by the press as Wheels Entertainment, 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-ba ...

. In February 2013 an application by Freij Entertainment International for the Yorkshire Wheel to remain in place until 30 November 2013 was considered by the City of York Council's planning committee. It was given permission to remain on the site only until 31 October.Big wheel to stay after knife-edge vote
It last operated on 30 September 2013 and was then dismantled.York's big wheel turns for the very last time

References

External links

* {{Ferris wheel Buildings and structures in York Tourist attractions in York Transportable Ferris wheels