Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

InspirationPhotography

The Runway Stops Here: Photographs of a community living off-grid near Heathrow Airport

Adjacent to the nation's busiest airport is a community living entirely off-grid. Flanked one side by a runway and on the other by a Holiday Inn, this is not the most obvious location for an ecological project to thrive. But Grow Heathrow is more than an eco-village. Established eight years ago, it was set up as a direct protest against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Written By:
All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

Since then it has evolved into a beacon for sustainable living, housing around 25 residents who live in a series of homes cobbled together lovingly using low-impact methods.

Now the threat of a proposed third runaway, as backed in Parliament in June 2018, looks set to demolish the site as well as hundreds of homes in the surrounding area.

When photographer Jonathan Goldberg first visited the site in 2011, he felt as though he had stumbled upon a utopia, and was immediately moved to take pictures. His sensitive images depict the everyday comings and goings and personalities of the residents, some of whom have stayed weeks, and others, years. But life isn't always rosy: the threat of eviction is never far away and winters can be cold and bleak.

Goldberg's photos highlight the intrinsic qualities of a community of people that have chosen a sustainable way of life based on shared values, away from conventional infrastructures. We see inside cosy abodes made from materials sourced predominantly from the land, lush green pastures, and carefree children residing in yurts. A timelessness and intimacy pervade his images, but The Runway Stops Here asks if the charming "dream" that is sustainable living is really as idyllic as it seems.

Photos taken in the winter months allude to such hardships. Much of residents' time is spent outdoors, or in structures which do not fully keep out moisture. Being in a close community full-time can be challenging too, and frequently people are asked to leave if they are becoming a burden to the group. The threat of eviction too has been a cause for anxiety at various times in Grow Heathrow's past, and now the renewed prospect of a third runway.

As politicians have made their intentions clear, preparations are underway by Grow Heathrow residents for a loud show of defiance – not just to save their home, but also to highlight the far wider-reaching ramifications concerned with aviation and climate change.

Young resident carrying a wooden tray walks through overgrown garden paths at Grow Heathrow eco-village, with a converted stone structure and black door behind him
Woman in a red dress stands outside a weathered wooden shed with a polycarbonate roof, surrounded by climbing ivy and vegetation at the Grow Heathrow eco-village
Young man in grey t-shirt kicking in vegetable garden at Grow Heathrow, with another resident visible among the plants in background
Two residents of Grow Heathrow stand among vegetation holding a sign reading "No Third Runway" with the organisation's website URL below
Multiple hands sorting seeds and plant material into bowls at a wooden table at Grow Heathrow community
A group of Grow Heathrow residents gathered outdoors sharing food and drinks together, with a white marquee visible in the background.
Child sitting among piles of colourful clothing inside a purple-patterned yurt at Grow Heathrow
An adult and two young children gathered around a laptop at a wooden table in a greenhouse-like garden space at Grow Heathrow
An adult wraps a child in a towel inside a rustic shelter at Grow Heathrow eco-village
Woman drinking from a glass in a cluttered bedroom at Grow Heathrow, with photographs pinned to the wall behind her
Two residents stand on a wooden scaffold structure beneath a homemade wind turbine with white blades against a cloudy sky at Grow Heathrow
Share

Further Reading