The Imminent Diorama

This year, to mark eighty years since the first protected views were proposed, the National Trust, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, and Bompas & Parr will collaborate on a new installation, ‘The Imminent Diorama’, which will sit atop one of London’s finest unprotected views of the city at the Horniman.

The interactive installation will allow the public to see this breathtaking view as it is now, and as it could appear over the next eighty years.

The installation will highlight the delight and importance of views to Londoners, and their current lack of protection in certain areas of London.

While a total of twenty-seven London views hold some form of designation, only thirteen hold Protected Vista status. Nine of those are from north of the river, with just four from south of the river, at Richmond, Greenwich, Blackheath, and City Hall. This disparity, says Joe Watson, Creative Director of National Trust London, is largely a result of historic power vested in wealthier parts of the city. Breath-taking views of our city are life affirming. While they may not cost anything, they are of value to everyone, so we’re asking Londoners to tell us which views are most important to them for us to celebrate and, in the future, perhaps protect.