A changing view across the capital
Captured in 2014, ‘London from the Shard’ was taken from the very top of The Shard, 310 metres above the city. My shoot position was around 60 metres higher than the public viewing platform on the 72nd floor. From this vantage point, London appears immense: a city of movement and structure stretching far into the distance.
London in transformation
At the time, London’s skyline was undergoing a major shift. The Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater) and 20 Fenchurch Street (The Walkie Talkie) had just joined the skyline, with other towers still on the drawing board. With more than 250 high-rise projects planned across the city, this photograph captures a defining moment in London’s near continuous vertical expansion.
From this height, the geometry of the capital becomes clear. Historic landmarks like St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge sitting within a growing forest of glass and steel. A city at once orderly and sprawling, with nighttime streets lit up like a lava flow, the panorama shows us the huge extent of the metropolis.
London from the Shard: A record of its time
Seen now, this image shows London from The Shard at a moment of transition. Several new towers, including 22 Bishopsgate, have since changed the view again. Yet the photograph retains its significance a record of the city’s continuing evolution, viewed from its tallest building.
Shooting from the Shard
I have captured multiple views from The Shard over the years, including a full 360-gigapixel panorama when the building was still under construction, and a twilight cityscape view from the same vantage point. These linked projects (see Gigapixel 360 Panorama from the Shard, Twilight View from the Shard and the Shard 360 Gigapixel) provide further evidence of how this vantage has offered one of the most consistent and transformative views of the capital skyline.
To explore more London cityscape photography, visit the portfolio .
Page last updated: October 2025