Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome is a huge metal tent lying on a bend of the Thames near Greenwich. It was opened to the public on 1st January 2000, amidst much media grumbling.
It was commissioned by the Government as one of London’s millennium projects – along with the London Eye and Jubilee Line extension.
It is the largest single-roofed building in the world, measuring 3,280 feet in circumference – tall enough to accommodate Nelson’s Column standing upright, or the Eiffel Tower on its side.
The O2 Millennium Dome
The original plan was to turn the Dome into a glorious Great Exhibition, but that bit the dust within a year. The plans were ill-conceived and poorly thought out, and suffered from massive public apathy. It didn’t help that the exhibits were rather less than enthralling…
The venue was split into fourteen zones – Body, Work, Learning, Money, Play, Journey, Self Portrait, Living Island, Talk, Faith, Home Planet, Rest, Mind, and Shared Ground – containing educational exhibits and information displays. But over-optimistic visitor numbers (12 million) meant that it fell woefully short of cash, and the Government was frequently asked to bail it out.
Despite its lousy reputation, the Dome still managed to attract 6.5 million people in its first 12 months of operation – hardly a disaster. Indeed, this number was slightly higher than the Festival of Britain managed in 1951.
Many new plans were proposed for the Dome since its closure, and there was talk of turning it into a casino, a sports venue, or a music arena with shops and offices. The mobile communication company O2 eventually won out, and turned it into an entertainment complex called the O2 Arena.
Facts and information
- Address:
- Millennium Dome, Drawdock Road,
London SE10 0BB
England - Bus route:
- 108, 188, 422, 472, M1, M2
- Train station:
- North Greenwich JB
The Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome – ‘O2 Arena’ photo courtesy of www.londonsnaps.com
The O2 Arena in London- > Information
- > Street map
- > Read/write reviews
Millennium Dome – Related articles…
Canary WharfCanary Wharf boasts Britain’s biggest building, Canada Tower – 797 feet of glass and steel.
Events at the O2 Arena:
- 15th February 2009
- Catch the Blue Man Group's peculiar brand of dance, music and theatre when their Megastar World Tour hits the O2 Arena on the 15th February.
- 12th – 13th February 2009
- Go and see "Keane" live in concert at the O2 Arena -- where they will be performing songs from their brand-new album "Perfect Symmetry".
- 5th – 8th February 2009
- The Strictly Come Dancing Tour 2009 will be hitting the O2 Arena in February, where you will be able to see the Strictly Come Dancing TV stars Cherie Lunghi, Gethin Jones, Jill Halfpenny, Jodie Kidd, Kenny Logan, Rachel Stevens and Tom Chambers.
