Yorkshire Wheel
Encyclopedia
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
installations at different locations in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England.
The first installation was at the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
, and operated from 12 April 2006 until 2 November 2008.
The second installation, in the grounds of The Royal York Hotel
The Royal York Hotel
The Royal York Hotel is an historic Grade II listed building adjacent to York railway station. It is a five-storey building of yellow Scarborough brick and was completed in 1878, a year after the present station opened. The architect was William Peachey of the North Eastern Railway...
, is due to open in late 2011.
2006 installation
The Wheel was originally intended to be placed in the Tower Gardens on the other side of the River OuseRiver Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
, opposite Cliffords Tower; however, because of residents' protests, the NRM 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 observation wheel of its kind in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, and was inspired by the London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
which opened a few years earlier. At 54 metres (177.2 ft), it was somewhat smaller than the 135 metres (442.9 ft) of the London Eye, but could be no higher than York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
, York's skyline height limit.
The operation of the Wheel differed from that of the London Eye: visitors on the Wheel were allowed several rotations, and the wheel stopped to load and unload passengers. It had 42 pods, including a VIP pod with glass floor, screen, radio, and leather interior. Like the rest of the Railway Museum, it was licensed as a venue for weddings, and weddings did indeed take place there. Speed dating
Speed dating
Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process or dating system whose purpose is to encourage people to meet a large number of new people. Its origins are credited to Rabbi Yaacov Deyo of Aish HaTorah, originally as a way to help Jewish singles meet and marry. "SpeedDating", as a single word, is...
on St. Valentine's Day in 2007 also took place.
Norwich Union
Norwich Union
Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...
, 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
White Rose of York
The White Rose of York , a white heraldic rose, is the symbol of the House of York and has since been adopted as a symbol of Yorkshire as a whole.-History:...
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 (York)
The Press is the local daily paper for a substantial area of North and East Yorkshire, based on the city of York. It is printed by the Newsquest Ltd, a subsidiary of the Newsquest Media Group....
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, and World Tourist Attractions began dismantling it on Monday 3 November 2008.
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 local York newspaper 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 York 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.
A York Press report on 10 July 2009 stated 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
On 2 December 2010 the York Press 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.