Earls Court "Gigantic Wheel" Token - 1902 (EF)

The 'Gigantic Wheel at Earl's Court', also known as the Great Wheel, was a prominent landmark in London from 1895 to 1907, built for the Empire of India Exhibition. Inspired by the original Ferris Wheel at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it was designed by Walter Basset, a former naval engineer, and constructed by Maudslay, Sons and Field in Greenwich at a cost of £16,000. Opened to the public on July 17, 1895, it stood 94 meters (308 feet) tall, making it the tallest structure in London at the time, surpassing St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Chicago Ferris Wheel (264 feet).

The steam-powered wheel featured 40 cars, each weighing four tons and capable of carrying up to 30-40 passengers, giving a theoretical capacity of 1,200 to 1,600 people per ride. A single rotation took about 20 minutes and cost sixpence. By the time it ceased operations in 1906, it had carried over 2.5 million passengers. The wheel was a spectacle, often adorned with lights and attracting diverse visitors, including birds like a goldcrest found perched in a carriage in 1900.
This token is dated 1902 and describes the wheel's key statistics on the reverse.

Weight 10.7g

(ref AHC065)