The Wheel of Birmingham or Birmingham Wheel was a series of transportable

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, 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, gondola ...

installations at

Centenary Square Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street in Birmingham, England, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. The square is used as a staging area for many of the city's main cul ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England. These have been landmarks in central Birmingham, visible from many parts of the city. The first opened on 6 November 2003, and its replacement opened on 21 October 2004, both being tall. A third wheel, the Birmingham Mail Wheel, operated from 18 January 2010 until 22 February 2010, and was also 60 m tall.

History

The first wheel, the Roue de Paris, had originally operated in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. 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. The following year, Roue de Paris moved to

Exchange Square, Manchester Exchange Square is a civic square in Manchester, England. The square was created after the 1996 Manchester bombing The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 15 June 1996. The I ...

, and a new wheel was erected at the Birmingham site. This second wheel was operated by

World Tourist Attractions 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 Jul ...

and had commentary by

BRMB BRMB is a British radio station based in Aston, Birmingham, which is owned and operated by Murfin Music International. It broadcasts on 89.1FM in Aston and surrounding areas, on DAB throughout Birmingham, and online via the station's website a ...

DJ Phil Upton. It had sealed carriages with air conditioning and heating, and a premium "VIP" car. On 5 September 2006, the second wheel closed after it was sold to an Australian company; it was then dismantled and transported to Australia.

Gallery

Image:Hall of Memory 01.jpg, Birmingham Wheel behind the Hall of Memory Image:Birmingham Wheel 2009 01.jpg, Birmingham Wheel night view Image:Birmingham Wheel 2009 02.jpg, Birmingham Wheel night view Image:Birmingham Wheel 2009 03.jpg, Inside the wheel structure Image:Birmingham Wheel 2009 05.jpg, The Birmingham Wheel from Cambrian Wharf Image:Birmingham Wheel 2009 04.jpg, The Birmingham Wheel from

Lozells Lozells is a loosely defined inner-city area in West Birmingham, England. It is centred on Lozells Road, and is known for its multi-racial population. It is part of the ward of Lozells and East Handsworth and lies between the districts of Hands ...

Image:Birmingham from north 01.jpg, The Birmingham Wheel from

Barr Beacon Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr (the Beacon borders the Pheasey area of Great Barr) and to the local secon ...

References

{{Coord, 52, 28, 44.04, N, 1, 54, 32.49, W, type:landmark, display=title Transportable Ferris wheels Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands