The Olympic city at dawn

The Olympic city... at dawn : Golden images of the Houses of Parliament and London's other great landmarks bathed in morning sun

By Tom Goodenough

Published at MAIL ONLINE : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158842/London-Olympics-2012-Images-Houses-Parliament-bathed-morning-sun.html

They are sights that are familiar to many, but these pictures taken from a helicopter hovering over London this morning offer a rare bird's eye perspective of the city.

Taken at dawn today, whilst London was still at its most calm and barely recognizable from the usual hustle and bustle that sees the city spring to life, the streets and River Thames barely display any sign of movement.

And the startling photographs also show off the huge scale of the city - offering a unique panorama of London from suburb to centre.

The incredible photos of London taken from a helicopter show that the newest addition to the skyline, The Shard at London Bridge, dominates the foreground

The early morning sunshine reflects beautifully off the Houses of Parliament

The pond-like surface of the River Thames shows barely a ripple of life in the extraordinary photographs

The Aerial View of the London skyline shows that the tallest building in the European Union, The Shard, dominates the landscape of the city. In the background, the BT tower and Wembley Stadium can also be made out

The stunning birds-eye shots also capture the Docklands at dawn, but even out in the east of London The Shard is still clearly visible

This beautiful aerial view of The Thames Barrier at dawn was part of a series of photographs taken from a helicopter. The shots show off the stunning breadth of landscapes within the city which are often left unappreciated on the ground

In a contrast to the bank holiday weekend that saw thousands cram into The Mall, the streets around Buckingham Palace were all but deserted this morning

As well as capturing the new addition to London's skyline in The Shard, the helicopter hovering above London this morning also photographed the Royal Albert Hall and Memorial

The helicopter also captured stunning aerial views of a new focal point of the London skyline, the Olympic Stadium

The photographs show the preparations that are underway in haste for the Olympic opening ceremony happening next month