The London Eye wasn't supposed to be permanent.

Designed by husband-and-wife architects David Marks and Julia Barfield for millennium celebrations, the wheel was meant to spin for just five years before being dismantled. Londoners had other ideas. The 135-metre observation wheel, which took seven years to design and sixteen months to construct, quickly became the city's most visited paid attraction.

Standing on the South Bank beside the former County Hall, the Eye offers thirty-minute rotations with views stretching 40 kilometres on clear days. Each of its 32 capsules can hold 25 passengers, representing London's 32 boroughs. The wheel moves continuously at a leisurely 0.9 kilometres per hour, slow enough for visitors to step on and off without stopping.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace the South Bank's reinvention from industrial waterfront to cultural destination, using the Eye as a landmark for understanding how London transformed itself for a new century.