Town mouse on the London Eye
Clive celebrates the London Eye - one of London's newest and best-loved landmarks.


I never see the London Eye without feeling pleasure, tinged with wonderment. Before it was erected, who could believe that a socking great Ferris wheel would be given planning permission, bang opposite the Houses of Parliament? In fact, the original permission lasted only a year, but by the end of that time, it had proved such a hit with the public that, eight years on, it’s still there.
It will probably continue to grace the Thames in 80 years time. Whereas the contemporary Millennium Dome in Greenwich is still tainted by controversy, the great wheel seems to inspire nothing but joy. I glimpse a sight of it every day, its sleek arc and space-age pods juxtaposed to the crockets of Big Ben. I am thrilled how it is lit up at night, the colours lending warmth to the miserably early evenings at this time of the year. It’s glorious.
I remember my first trip: it took place on the day my third son was born. It was a treat for his two elder brothers. Recently, my eldest son’s geography project took us back. On a sharp autumn morning, the gradual ascent, with London opening out before us like a flower, was as magical as ever. ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair,’ wrote Wordsworth of London from Westminster Bridge. Think what a poem he would have written 440ft up in the air.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
The life that thrives among the dead: How wildlife finds a home in the graveyards and churchyards of Britain
Home to a veritable ‘Noah’s Ark of species’, thanks to never being ploughed, sprayed or fertilised, our churchyards offer a sacred haven for flora and fauna, says Laura Parker.
-
‘What a shame when a dinosaur disappears into the mansion of an oligarch rather than being displayed for all to enjoy’: The ethics of the dinosaur auction
Fancy a stegosaurus in your living room? You can buy one at auction. But the latest luxury good is a paleontologist's worst nightmare.