compared to say AMS or FRA? or SIN? or HKG? or even, PEK or NRT?
sure. gatwick isn't up to much. Nor is Edinburgh. But if you exclude the insanity of CDG, and avoid the US (they just don't have international transit like anywhere else) LHR compares to hubs. not spokes.
I don't rate SYD or BNE (my home port) on this scale. Neither handle the PAX numbers.
My main beef with AMS and FRA is the length of corridor walk. The corridors themselves are in both cases bright, clean, and happy. LHR is huge, and I will concede its functional. you cannot describe it as overwhelmingly happy.