The Giant Wheel at Blackpool Faces the Wrecking Ball in 1928
Demolition of the Blackpool Giant Wheel in 1928
After 32 years of delivering fun, the ”Jolly Wheel” (or Human Centrifuge) was coming down in 1928. The Giant Wheel was never really able to challenge the Blackpool Tower, so the end was nigh. Built by British Naval Engineer Walter B. Bassett, this was the second Giant Wheel out of four that he was to construct between 1895 and 1898. Earls Court (London), Blackpool, Vienna and Paris all received variations of Bassett’s Giant Wheels. Bassett died penniless in 1907. In 1896 he was challenged in the Courts by James Weir Graydon, an American Giant Wheel inventor and patent holder. Bassett claimed he had Continue reading The Demolition of a Giant Wheel→
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. – American Bridge & Tunnel Engineer (1859-1896)
1893– Giant Pleasure Wheel – Columbian Exposition at Chicago – ”The Queen of the Midway”
264ft. high & 790ft. in circumference – 36 passenger cars each carrying 38 people. 1368 passengers fully laden.
Giant Pleasure Wheel at the Chicago Exposition 1903
G.W Ferris died in poverty three years after this Giant Wheel was completed. The attraction was pulled down in 1903 and moved to the Louisiana Purchase Expo. in St. Louis and re-opened in 1904. Finally on May 11, 1906 this Giant Wheel was demolished by a 200lb. charge of dynamite. The name ”Ferris Wheel” is still used today.
George Washington Gale Ferris 1859 to 1896
Walter B. Bassett – British Naval Officer (1863-1907)
A ”CALL-BIRD” for the Winter Gardens. 214 ft. high – 30 passenger cars each carrying 30 people – 900 passengers fully laden. 400 tons of steel. Built to rival the 518ft. high Blackpool Tower which opened 14/5/1894.
Pulled down for scrap in October 1928. Passenger cars sold for GBP20.
1897– Giant Pleasure Wheel – Reisenrad, Vienna, Austria
Giant Wheel by Walter Bassett at Prater Parc, Vienna Austria in 1935
226ft. high – 30 passenger cars each carrying 20 people – 600 passengers fully laden.
Built to commemorate the 50th. Anniversary of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph’s ascension to the throne.
Famous landmark used as a location during the filming of the motion picture ”The Third Man”. Still in operation today with only 15 cars.
1898– Giant Pleasure Wheel – ”La Grande Roue” – for the Paris Exposition of1900.
La Grande Roue de Paris 1898
328ft. high – 40 passenger cars – Built on the Avenue de Suffern close to the 984ft. high Eiffel Tower (built for 1889 Paris Expo.).
Pulled down in 1920. The passenger cars were used as temporary homes for some of the First World War homeless.
Wheel Wars
In 1896 there had been plans for a Giant Pleasure Wheel at New Brighton (UK), with James Weir Graydon as Proposer & Engineer (US Inventor and holder of a British Giant Wheel patent). Walter B. Bassett claimed that on 10/8/95 he had reached an agreement with Graydon that gave Bassett the exclusive rights to use the Graydon patents to build Giant Pleasure Wheels in the UK. Graydon filed a countersuit against Bassett for financial damages, due to the construction delay. This was dismissed by the Court. By this time Bassett had completed the Giant Wheels in Blackpool, Vienna and Paris, and the New Brighton project was scrapped. Bassett died nine years later on 25/5/07 at Watermouth, and was by then virtually penniless.
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