After a huge dome was built on the Greenwich Peninsula to celebrate the new millennium, it looked for all the world like its fate might be as London’s great boondoggle, sitting empty for the next 1,000 years like so many expo and Olympic sites around the planet.
The Millennium Dome was originally conceived under John Major’s Tory government but the project was vastly expanded by an excitable Tony Blair after Labour’s 1997 election landslide.
The Queen was among the 10,000 guests on New Year’s Eve 1999 to enjoy the fireworks and celebrate the failure of the “Millennium Bug” to bring down human civilisation.
Throughout 2000, the dome was home to the Millennium Dome Show, conceived by Peter Gabriel, and cultural and scientific exhibits in 14 commercially sponsored zones.
The dome was widely seen as a failure, having attracted six million visitors, when 12 million had been projected, and cost hundreds of millions of pounds. The operating company went into liquidation and the government had to find a way to dispose of the property - and shake off the cost of maintaining it.
Ideas were put forward to use it for a business park, a research centre, a housing development, a sports park or a huge casino.
But it eventually housed the O2 Arena, which opened with a performance by Bon Jovi on June 24, 2007.
13. The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones performed at the O2 Arena in August 2007. (Photo by Gareth Davies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
14. Beyoncé
Beyoncé on stage at her I AM tour afterparty at O2 Arena’s club, Indigo, in 2009. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images) | Getty Images
15. In the ring
The O2 Arena has become a popular venue for boxing. Here Anthony Joshua celebrates his 2014 victory over Denis Bakhtov in their Vacant WBC International Heavyweight Championship bout. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
16. Madonna
Madonna on her Rebel Heart world tour at the O2 on December 1, 2015. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) | Getty Images