Almost all the maps we have featured to date have fallen neatly within the M25 but, of course, London’s influence extends well beyond this physical boundary. One of the most significant impacts resulting from London’s rise as a global city is the need for increasing numbers of people to fly in and out efficiently. With Heathrow at capacity there, have been a series of high profile plans to build new airports along the Thames Gateway and in the Thames Estuary. This map, commissioned by the the Museum of London, shows five of the proposals made in the past few years and places them in the context of the surrounding environment, including nature reserves and hazards. The reason for including the SS Richard Montgomery is that it contains around 1,400 tonnes of explosives from the Second World War. If these were to explode it would make for a pretty big bang. Despite being adjacent to one of the UK’s busiest shipping lanes this hasn’t happened so far…
The Estuary Airport display is at the Museum of London Docklands, as part of Estuary, a free exhibition of contemporary art which presents the work of 12 artists – each of whom have been inspired by the outer limits of the River Thames. You can see an interesting video about the artists and artworks below.