Yorkshire Wheel facts for kids
The Yorkshire Wheel was the name for two large, movable Ferris wheels that were set up at different times in York, England. Think of them like giant observation wheels that could be taken apart and moved!
The first wheel was at the National Railway Museum. It gave rides from April 12, 2006, until November 2, 2008.
The second wheel was located at The Principal York hotel. It operated from December 13, 2011, to September 30, 2013. People also called this one the Wheel of York or simply the York Wheel.
For a while in 2014, its official website said it was "Now Closed - Reopening 2014," but it never came back after that.
The First Yorkshire Wheel: 2006 to 2008
The first Yorkshire Wheel was originally planned for a different spot near Clifford's Tower. But some local people were worried about it, so the City of York Council decided it should go to the National Railway Museum instead. The plan was for it to stay there for three years.
In its first six months, an amazing 200,000 people rode the wheel!
This was the first big wheel of its kind in North Yorkshire. It was inspired by the famous London Eye, which had opened a few years earlier. The Yorkshire Wheel was 54 meters (about 177 feet) tall. This was much smaller than the London Eye, which is 135 meters (about 443 feet) tall. However, the Yorkshire Wheel couldn't be taller than York Minster, which is a very important church in York. This was a rule to protect York's famous skyline.
Riding the Yorkshire Wheel was a bit different from the London Eye. Visitors got to go around several times, and the wheel would stop to let people on and off. It had 42 passenger cabins, called gondolas. One special cabin was a VIP (Very Important Person) gondola. It had a glass floor, a screen, a radio, and comfy leather seats!
Just like the National Railway Museum itself, the wheel was a licensed place for weddings. Some couples even got married there! On Valentine's Day in 2007, a fun event called "speed dating" also happened on the wheel.
A company called Norwich Union, which had its main office in York, helped pay for the wheel at first. But their sponsorship ended in July 2007. After that, a symbol called the White Rose of York was added to the center of the wheel.
On the wheel's first birthday, it was reported that it had completed 32,500 full turns!
In March 2008, some tourism leaders in York hoped the wheel could stay permanently, even after its three years were up.
However, on August 27, 2008, a local newspaper called The Press reported that the wheel might be moved to another spot in the city. But just a day later, the newspaper noted that some groups who protect old buildings and nature were against the idea.
The first Yorkshire Wheel gave its last rides at the National Railway Museum on Sunday, November 2, 2008. After that, it was taken apart and was expected to be sent to another country.
The Second Yorkshire Wheel: 2011 to 2013
On December 2, 2010, exciting news came out: the Yorkshire Wheel was going to return to York! The plan was for it to be ready by 2011.
The wheel finally seemed set for its comeback in October 2011.
After some delays due to strong winds, the company running the wheel, Great City Attractions, opened the 53.3-meter (about 175-foot) tall wheel to the public. This happened at 4:45 PM on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, in the gardens of The Principal York hotel.
In July 2012, Great City Attractions faced some financial problems. All of its wheels in Britain were then bought by a company from Dubai called Freij Entertainment International. Their UK branch, Wheels Entertainments, took over running them.
In February 2013, Freij Entertainment International asked the City of York Council if the Yorkshire Wheel could stay until November 30, 2013. The council only gave permission for it to stay until October 31. The wheel gave its very last rides on September 30, 2013, and was then taken down for good.
