Brighton’s iconic seaside wheel could be making a comeback

It was a solemn day when, in 2016, we had to wave goodbye to one of Brighton’s most eye-catching landmarks. The 164-foot Brighton Wheel (formerly known as both the Brighton O and the Wheel of Excellence) was a transportable ferris wheel first installed in 2011 to give beachgoers a chance to see the city from on high. But it was dismantled after just five years, making way for the construction of the i360 tower.

Do you still think about the Brighton Wheel? Well, we have huge news. The retired seaside attraction could soon make a comeback, with the local council considering resurrecting it.

Should councillors decide to give the family business behind Brighton’s beachside zipwire the go-ahead, the wheel’s 12-minute rides could soon return to its original site on Madeira Drive. 

A question of whether to give the family a 25-year lease for the landmark will be the subject of a cabinet meeting on September 17, but local councillors have already welcomed the proposal. 

‘Brighton became Brighton because people came here to have fun by the sea. That’s part of our identity, and we should be ambitious about what a great seaside city looks like for the next generation,’ said David McGregor, cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism.

‘Bringing the Wheel back isn’t about looking backwards. It’s about taking something people loved and making it part of the next phase of our seafront.’

If approved, the wheel could be up and running as early as next summer and will join the zip wire, café and grassroots music venue, Daltons Bar and Cabaret, also run by the company. Brighton already made it onto Time Out’s best British seaside towns this year, and the restoration of the big wheel would add to the long list of reasons for a visit.

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