Incredible aerial photographs taken from a helicopter have revealed London’s green spaces, bustling traffic and ever-changing skyline like never before.
Photographer Jason Hawkes has flown over London weekly in helicopters for more than 20 years, taking photos for architects and developers.
And now his hard work is revealed in a series of stunning photographs which include locations such as Covent Garden, Oxford Circus and Hyde Park.
He compared this latest set of shots with some around ten years ago and said he found the differences ‘incredible’ – with one picture taken of London’s primary financial district, the City of London, in both 2009 and 2018, showing a dramatic contrast.
Describing his latest shots, Mr Hawkes said: ‘Because I see it all the time it doesn’t look that amazing day-to-day, but looking back you realise how much it has changed.’
Mr Hawkes specialises in aerial photography – with all his images shot from helicopters. In London he can often be seen hanging out of the door of an AS355 helicopter.
Photographer Jason Hawkes has revealed in a series of stunning photographs the changing landscape of London. He compared a photograph he took of London’s primary financial district, the City of London, in both 2009 (left) and 2018 (right), and found a dramatic contrast
The Shard was unveiled as ‘Europe’s first vertical city’ in July 2012 – and reaching more than a thousand feet into the air was hailed as one of the wonders of the age when it was completed. It is seen here in 2018 with its Christmas lights on display
The American embassy (bottom centre) is seen here in this stunning shot of the River Thames. The stunning new riverside embassy building was constructed by the US government at a cost of £750 million. The Houses of Parliament and the London eye can be seen in the distance
Stunning autumnal colours are seen next to the Houses of Westminster in a photograph taken earlier this year. Repairs are urgently needed on the building and last year MPs voted in favour of moving out of Westminster entirely while they are carried out. The main project will not start before the next election in 2022 but emergency works are already underway
Wembley Stadium (pictured here in 2018) opened in 2007 on the site of the original stadium – which was demolished between 2002 and 2003. The stadium hosts major football matches including the FA Cup final and international games for England
The BBC’s London base in White City is seen here – a location at which generations of Britain’s best-loved television shows, including Blue Peter, Doctor Who and Top of the Pops were once filmed. The former BBC headquarters was built in the 1950s and included 400 offices, 600 dressing rooms, seven studios and even its own telephone exchange
The iconic screens at London’s Piccadilly Circus are seen in this stunning aerial photograph taken by Jason Hawkes. The lights at the famous junction are shared by six advertisers including Samsung and Coca-Cola. The billboard is also able to provide live video streaming and give weather and sports updates
Some of London’s newest buildings are seen in the distance, including The Shard (left) and 20 Fenchurch Street (right) – otherwise known as the walkie talkie. A new building dubbed ‘The Tulip’, is set to become London’s second tallest structure behind The Shard, and will have a 12-storey glass bud on top of a 787ft concrete shaft with eight floors of viewing platforms
The Battersea Power Station (pictured in 2018 at night) Development Company is in the middle of a five-year project to transform the Grade II listed building into 250 apartments, along with retail and leisure units and office space, which will be partly used for Apple’s UK headquarters
One Blackfriars (pictured in the foreground to the right of the shard) is a 550ft mixed-use tower currently being built at the junction of Blackfriars Road and Stamford Street at Bankside. The 52-storey tower will be flanked by two smaller buildings. Original plans saw the tower reaching 222m with 68-storeys, before the designs were scaled down
It is one of Europe’s most famous skylines, but the City of London is constantly changing appearance thanks to the regular flow of new skyscrapers being built within the congested Square Mile. Back in 2006, only the Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe) and NatWest Tower (Tower 42) stood out – but the Walkie Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street), Cheesegrater (Leadenhall) and Heron Tower (100 Bishopgate) have been built since
The River Thames winds through the city of London and is seen here in a picture taken last year. The aforementioned One Blackfriars is seen again in this image (far left). Mr Hawkes takes all of his images from helicopters and in London he can often be seen hanging out of the door of an AS355 helicopter
London’s Oxford Circus is seen during a scorching day in the capital last year. With more than 200 million visitors each year, it is one of the busiest shopping streets in Europe. Shoppers are seen exiting the underground and queuing at a crossroads in this image
Arsenal’s old and new stadium (left and right), called Arsenal Stadium (Highbury) and Emirates Stadium respectively are located in Highbury and Holloway respectively. The old stadium has now been converted into flats in a project known as Highbury Square
Construction workers are seen putting the finishing touches on the glass on One Blackfriars – which is located near Blackfriars Bridge. The 52-floor skyscraper, from which residents can enjoy views over 28 miles across London from the top, will also boast a 20-seat cinema and a wine-tasting room.
Battersea Power Station was opened in 1933, but the building was not finished until 1953 after work was delayed by the Second World War. It generated 20 per cent of London’s electricity supply, until it finally stopped producing power in 1983. It is pictured here in 2018
Buckingham Palace is seen here, with the City of London in the background. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is the London residence of the Queen and is often the the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. The Royal Family was seen in December arriving for Christmas lunch in the grounds
The gherkin (centre) is now an iconic building along London’s skyline and those familiar with the capital might be used to iconic landmarks such as this one, the Walkie Talkie and the Shard – but they probably haven’t heard of the Citygate Ecotower, Britannia Statue and the Green Bird. These were all buildings that never really got off the ground in London over the past few centuries
The British Museum is seen at night last year. It has previously been rated one of the country’s top tourist sites receiving around 6.8 million visitors in 2015, ahead of the National Gallery (5.9 million) and the Natural History Museum (5.3 million)
Runners are seen lining up for the London Marathon last year – during the hottest ever hosted by the city. Many exhausted competitors collapsed to the ground after running the 26.2 mile course in the sweltering heat, while others stood in front of fans as they desperately tried to cool down
The annual Winter Wonderland event in Hyde Park draws in millions of visitors from around the world to its fairground rides, Christmas markets and food stalls. More than 2.5million people visit the event every year. It is seen here in 2018
Last year’s warmer weather made life difficult for organisers at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. In early December temperatures reached 61F (16C) in London yesterday as the surface of the main rink turned to water – with a smaller rink’s inch-deep puddles soaking customers and workers clearing it
This stunning photo shows the Thames Barrier – a magnificent piece of machinery which protects the city of London from rising flood waters. The 520m-long flood defence system near Woolwich in east London was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1984. The movable barrier is made up of 10 gates attached to 39-metre tall cofferdam piles, which are buried 24 metres into the river bed. Individual gates can be closed in ten minutes but the whole barrier takes an hour and half to close completely. The barrier can hold back up to 9,000 tonnes of water and – when fully raised – creates a solid steel wall preventing water flowing
The River Thames is the one of the longest rivers in England stretching a whopping 215 miles. It flows through Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor and is around 20 metres at its deepest
The Shard opened to great fanfare in 2012 with a laser light show. There had been plans for a 1,400ft building, but aviation chiefs said this was be a hazard to air traffic – so the developers scaled it back to 1,000ft. However this still made the £500million project – which has 11,000 glass panels – the tallest building in Western Europe. But it was revealed last month that ten apartments worth up to £50million there still sit empty because offers have not been high enough
Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are pictured here. The former is a Grade I-listed major park in Central London and is the largest of four Royal Parks that form a chain around Kensington
The distinctive BT Tower (left), previously known as the Post Office Tower, was the first to transmit high frequency radio waves when it was completed in 1965 using dishes inside cables. At 620ft it was the tallest building in London until the NatWest Tower was built in 1981 – because other tall structures would have blocked transmissions
White City London, an exclusive club often frequented by celebrities, is seen in this image. It is the latest outpost of the exclusive members’ club Soho House, whose regulars include Cara Delevingne and David Beckham – not forgetting a certain royal couple who famously enjoyed their first date at its Dean Street venue
‘The London Mastaba’, unveiled in June last year, is the latest installation by Christo, a master of supersized artworks who has previously wrapped Berlin’s Reichstag in silver fabric and festooned New York’s Central Park with thousands of saffron-colored cloth gates. The 83-year-old artist’s first major creation in London rises 65 feet (20 meters) above the surface of the park’s Serpentine Lake. Its slope-sided trapezoid was inspired by ancient Mesopotamian benches and Egyptian tombs. The colors have been chosen to complement the lush greenery and gray-blue skies of a London summer
The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is pictured here. The palace has served as the official London residence of the UK’s sovereigns since 1837 – and is now the administrative headquarters of the monarch. It has 775 rooms including 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms and 188 staff bedrooms.
A 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup match is seen being played here between India and Ireland on August 3 last year. It was held at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Crowds are seen walking along Hanseatic Walk next to the River Thames during the summer last year. Large crowds often gather next to the riverbank during the summer months to cool off
The Sky Garden (pictured), which sits atop 20 Fenchurch Street, promised to be the capital’s newest public park and was one of the reasons why the vast office block was allowed to be built on the edge of a conservation area
The London Eye is a now iconic landmark in the city. It stands at 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metre. When it opened in the year 2000 it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel
The American Embassy is believed to be the most expensive embassy building in the world and features state-of-the-art security systems. The building is protected by a moat and features a sculpture by British artist Rachel Whiteread which depicts a typical home in the United States built in the 1950s
With its towering dome and majestic galleries, St Paul’s Cathedral is as awe-inspiring today as it was when architect Sir Christopher Wren finished it 300 years ago. The Golden Gallery is pictured here where visitors can get a fantastic view of the roof and surrounding city