London from the air

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Our journey includes aerial photos taken by the author within 20Km of Westminster in Grid Square TQ3078. We start in the north east of the city, heading south and then following the Thames towards Heathrow. Most, but not all, of the flights from which these photos were taken started or finished at Heathrow.

You can see the photos used in this article displayed on a map by clicking on this Link .
Or you can click on this Link to see them as a slideshow.

The North East

The Lea Valley (also known as Lee Valley) Reservoirs dominate these photos. They not only provide a water supply to the city of London, but they also provide a home to a wide range of bird and have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest as a result. The reservoirs are part of the Lee Valley Regional Park Link .

The Olympic Games Site

The massive scale of this site is best appreciated from the air, well away from the hustle, bustle and disruption on the ground.

Docklands and The East End

Once the biggest docks in the world, London Docks closed in stages between the 1960s and 1980s, mainly as a result of containerisation which required larger ships, thus driving the trade further down the Thames.

Thames Barrier

The Thames Barrier opened in 1984 following a 12 year construction period. It's job is to protect London from high tides and storm surges. Here is a Link to the wikipedia article about the barrier.

Isle of Dogs and Greenwich

The most distinctive natural feature of the docklands is easily recognised from the air.

Bermondsy, Rotherhithe and Greenland Dock

This former docklands area in Southwark on the south bank is now mostly residential. Greenland Dock is the largest surviving dock on the south bank of the Thames.

Tower Bridge and The City of London

Tower Bridge is probably the most famous landmark in London, if not in the UK. Mistakenly known as London Bridge to many tourists, urban legend would have us believe that an American property developer thought that he had bought it in the late 1960s, when he had in fact bought the old London Bridge.

The City and the area around the south end of the bridge are home to some striking modern landmarks, namely The Gherkin, The Shard and City Hall buildings, all of which can be seen in these photos.

South Of The River

South of the river gets a bad press, but it looks OK from the air.

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