London Then And Now: Aerial Shots Show City Grow Over Past Two Decades

Will Noble
By Will Noble Last edited 16 months ago

Last Updated 17 August 2023

London Then And Now: Aerial Shots Show City Grow Over Past Two Decades

London's filling out at such a pace, it's only when you stop for a second and look back on recent history that you appreciate just how much it's transformed. Aerial photographer extraordinaire Jason Hawkes has released a set of photos he took from AS355 helicopters — showing London's prodigious transformation between the 2000s and 2023. All we can say is... my, how you've grown!

The Olympic stadium only half constructed
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 2010
The Olympic Park from above looking verdant
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 2020
Battersea Power Station looking dishevelled and roofless
Battersea Power Station, 2007
The power station totally refreshed with white chimneys and green roof gardens
Battersea Power Station, 2023
A panorama of the Thames with St Paul's and the Tate Modern visible
River Thames at Dusk, 2009
The same shot as above, but with a lot more skyscrapers in the City
River Thames at Dusk, 2023
Aerial shot of the City, with the Gherkin dominating
The City, 2006
Same image as above, but now with a huge cluster of skyscrapers
The City, 2023
Aerial view dominated by the verdant Oval ground
The Oval, 2007
The same shot as above, but now much more built up
The Oval, 2023
Wembley Stadium being built with lots of construction going on around it
Wembley Stadium, 2013
Wembley Stadium surrounded by high rises
Wembley Stadium, 2023
The Canary Wharf buildings with a lot of construction work going on around them
Isle of Dogs, 2016
The same shot as above, but with dozens more skyscrapers
Isle of Dogs, 2023
Shot of the City looking distinctly under built - The Shard only partially constructed in the background
The City, 2011
The City now looking much more built up - The Shard completed
The City, 2023
Nine Elms scored with railway tracks
Nine Elms, 2013
Nine Elms looking a lot more built up
Nine Elms, 2023
Tower Bridge with a notably low-rise landscape around it
Tower Bridge, 2006
Tower Bridge now surrounded by lots more buildings - including the Shard
Tower Bridge, 2023
The Emirates being constructed, with Highbury Stadium - still open - in the foreground
Highbury Stadium and The Emirates, 2005
Highbury has now been converted into flats, with the Emirates completed
The old Highbury Stadium and The Emirates, 2023
A sweep in the Thames by the Tower of London - showing an under developed landscape
Tower of London, 2002
The same shot as above, but far more built up
Tower of London, 2023
King's Cross, 2015
Another aerial shot of King's Cross - this time a lot more built up
King's Cross, 2023
A sunset over the Greenwich peninsula - with the O2 by the water - but not much more development
North Greenwich, 2007
The same shot as above - now with more development o the peninsula and across the water in the City
North Greenwich, 2023

All images © Jason Hawkes