City of London

The financial heart of London, the City is also known as the Square Mile or just simply ‘the City’. Administered and policed by the City of London Corporation it has been officially designated city status.

Outside of the headlines made by the City’s financial activities, the architecture of the City has always been keenly observed. The desire for new buildings is as fervent as ever. Notable additions to the cityscape include the Leadenhall Building (nicknamed the Cheese Grater) and 20 Fenchurch Street (a.k.a. the Walkie-Talkie). The City is full of iconic buildings, old and new, from St Paul’s Cathedral to the Lloyd’s Building with many of these captured in Will Pearson’s panoramic photography.

To explore panoramic London in large-scale images, please click on any of the images below.

Roseate London

The view in this image encompasses so much of the London skyline and many of its iconic buildings. To the left, you have the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. The London Eye with Buckingham Palace nestled behind it within St James’ Park. Move along the Thames to cross the city into the centre of…
Leadenhall Building 360

Captured from the courtyard of the Leadenhall Building, this interactive 360 panorama puts you at the heart of the City of London. It includes iconic landmarks including the Lloyd’s Building, the Gherkin, the Scalpel and St Andrew Undershaft. The scene reveals the historic layers of the City, where medieval churches sit alongside cutting-edge skyscrapers. Below…
Will Pearson, A London Photographer

Will Pearson is a London photographer, working solo and collaboratively with other creatives. He specialises in cityscape, architectural and landscape photography. If you have a project in mind, please send us your details in the contact form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Will Pearson is a London photographer specialising…
Bishopsgate Rising

Documenting the City of London’s skyline is a project I envision taking the rest of my life. The changes have built pace so much over the last decade. Shooting medium format allows me to capture beautifully sharp images, and see so much of the detail in the scene. Nearing completion, 22 Bishopsgate (TwentyTwo) continues to…
The City Awaits

City of London Photography This image was shot in December 2018, with the City of London in a period of unprecedented construction growth. The London skyline is changing daily. It’s a really exciting time to be photographing these iconic views. In contrast, inside these buildings, the thought is all of Brexit. The UK is on…
London Begins

A London Sunrise Panorama A new day over London, and the sunrise washes over the city. The square mile is drenched in light, the enormous buildings momentarily insubstantial. Usually, it’s the tall buildings that are the heroes of any cityscape. But here, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at the British Museum really proclaims its…
Artillery Ground, Evening

This cityscape overlooks a part of the City of London that many of those dashing down the streets of Finsbury will never see. The vibrant green of the Artillery Ground contrasts sharply with the surrounding buildings. It belongs to the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC). The HAC building, Armoury House (not in view here), overlooks the…
City of London Dusk

This gigapixel cityscape captures the City of London at dusk, as the windows light up and the city gets ready to wind down. Any fears about London’s future look utterly unfounded when you look at this skyline. When I started shooting the city the major buildings in this view would have been Tower 42 and…
Silver Gilded Photography at Sotheby’s

I’m delighted to have had one of my silver gilded photography images selected for an exhibition at Sotheby’s, London. Silvered City is a panoramic view over some of the City of London’s most iconic buildings. There is immense drama in these buildings, but their seriousness is lightened by the City’s oldest famed building peeping through…
Shard 360 Gigapixel

Shot at the very top of The Shard, at over 300 metres above the River Thames, this extremely high-resolution interactive gigapixel 360 degree panoramic photograph allows you to explore London’s skyline in exquisite detail. Many of London’s most famous and iconic buildings are visible in this 360 panorama. From the latest additions to the City…
Large Scale Panorama at Gatwick Airport

Art for Airports at Gatwick’s North Terminal International Departures A 32-metre gigapixel panorama installed at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal. Printed on a Tension Fabric System, the piece delivers museum-grade detail at airport scale. It’s sharp up close, and impactful right across the concourse. Produced as part of Gatwick’s £1bn transformation, the panorama comprises 10 fabric…
30 St Mary Axe 360 Panorama, Dawn to Dusk

In this 30 St Mary Axe 360 you can explore the views from one of the City of London’s most iconic buildings. The building commonly known as ‘the Gherkin’ is the 4th tallest in the City of London, behind Tower 42, the Heron Tower and the Leadenhall Building (‘the Cheesegrater’), but still stands out as…
Isle of Dogs

Canary Wharf was built on the old West India Docks in the Isle of Dogs. With the advent of major container ships in the 1960s, the docks, which were suitable only for smaller vessels, had steadily declined and by 1980 had closed entirely. The area has been reinvented as a major London business district, with…
Silvered City

This high resolution cityscape provides views over some of London’s most iconic buildings. After St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower 42 is the grand old lady of tall buildings here, having been first occupied in 1980, with the Lloyds building following in ’86. It seems impossible to think of the City of London now without the Gherkin…
Winter Sun London

View from the roof of the Leadenhall Building looking out over London in the January sun. This is one of the times of day that light and the clouds can alter swiftly, and to capture a high resolution image in the few instants before you lose that special moment where sunlight and cloud concatenate is…
Lambent London – View From 30 St Mary Axe

Explore photography from St Mary Axe in high resolution. When setting up a shoot from a tall building, it’s easy to become absorbed in the technicalities. The kit, the back-up in case of equipment failure, the technical process, waiting for the right weather, there’s much to plan for. And then, there are moments of pure…
London’s Skyline

The scale of London can only be truly appreciated from a height. There is no better place in London to do this than from the Shard. This image was shot from the very top of the Shard, 310 metres above London, which is more than 60 metres above the public viewing platform on the 72nd…
Infinitely London

London photos featuring many of London’s most iconic buildings. London’s skyline is constantly changing and this high resolution panorama features two striking new buildings, both close to completion. In the foreground is 20 Fenchurch Street. Its nickname the ‘Walkie Talkie’ can be attributed to its bulging, concave form. Just behind is The Leadenhall Building, rising…
Deep Zoom View From The Shard – Guardian Interactive Feature

To mark the opening of the Shard’s viewing gallery (‘The View from The Shard’), today The Guardian are featuring 2 of my interactive deep-zoom images captured from The Shard in their online and print edition. The online edition features an exciting interface which allows you to zoom in and click on hotspots for information. As…
Into The City

Here you can really look into the City – the panorama is incredibly high resolution so whilst you can stay panned back to take in the views over the Barbican to the Heron Tower, Tower 42, The Gherkin at St Mary Axe, the new Rothschilds Bank HQ at St Swithin’s Lane and the Shard, go…
London Landmarks, Autumn Evening

London’s tall landmarks bound together in one panoramic image as the sun sets on an autumn evening. From Earl’s Court, Kensington Gardens and the Albert Hall towards the west, then across the Serpentine to the iconic Battersea Power Station, Crystal Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Thames House at Vauxhall Cross (the MI5 building), Westminster…
View from the Docks Gigapixel Panorama

This image was shot as part of a commission for the cable car across the Thames, the Emirates Air Line. It was captured near Royal Victoria Docks and takes in a huge view across South and East London, and distant landmarks like the QEII Bridge at Dartford. You can zoom in and explore in detail…
London Stilled in Evening

London’s brief stillness in the minutes after rush hour has ended before the evening’s activity truly begins. The panorama takes in most of London’s major landmarks from The Shard to Canary Wharf, The City of London with St Paul’s Cathedral, with the Thames dividing the city and the Tate Tower bisecting the image.
Twilight view from the Shard

Twilight view from the Shard – London’s tallest and most spectacular skyscraper, The Shard at London Bridge. The River Thames sweeps past the illuminated City of London from Tower Bridge past London Bridge to Millennium Bridge and beyond. Many of London’s landmarks are visible in the cityscape, from Canary Wharf to the towering City of…
Hampstead Heath View 2012

Looking beyond the greenery of Hampstead Heath towards London and its iconic Landmarks. The newly completed Shard is a striking addition to the skyline. The panorama stretches from BT Tower in the west to Broadgate Tower in the City of London.
Gigapixel 360 Panorama from the Shard

This is a 360 gigapixel panorama which I shot from the crane at the top of the Shard, London Bridge while it was still under construction. At the time of its opening, The Shard was the tallest building in the European Union. As at 2025, it’s the second tallest (outside Russia), beaten only by the…
View From The South Bank

Panoramic view from the South Bank London looking out onto Canary Wharf, the City of London, The Shard, St Pauls Cathedral and The Olympic Village. This is a very high resolution panorama, you can zoom in to see details and further explore London’s landmark buildings, including Tower 42, 30 St Mary Axe, The Barbican, Heron…
Shard London Bridge Summit

This 360 image was captured at the top of the Shard London Bridge, 310m above London, on the night of the student protests in November 2010. You can see the police helicopters hovering over London above the demonstration. Technically this was a very difficult shoot, I was on the crane at the top of the…
London In Detail

In this panorama you can view The Shard under construction, with Canary Wharf seemingly just behind it. The level of resolution allows you to zoom in and see an incredible level of detail. Please click the ‘Fullscreen’ button for the best viewing experience and you can further explore the image to find many more of…
Nautical Twilight, City

Panoramic London cityscape at twilight with views over the City of London. The Shard lit up though still under construction can be seen in the far right of the image, with familiar buildings the Gherkin (St Mary Axe), Tower 42 and the Heron Tower in the City of London to the left. The image is…