First Stop Battersea Power station

 

Battersea Power station as seen from 
Grovesnor Road 

 I started my London photo trip in Battersea, specifically Battersea power station. When I was a child this was a run down area of London the power station which had been coal fired had come to the end of its life and because of its Grade II listed status had become a planning enigma. 

Battersea power station was built in two half’s the first Battersea A between 1929 and 1935. Battersea A was more ornate in side as was the way at the time designers had licence to make statement pieces and add flare to industrial projects. This half of the power station came online in 1935 and produced 243mw of electricity at its peak. By 1975 this half of the power station was coming to the end of its useful life and was decommissioned and left as an empty building. 

Battersea power station chimney 

Battersea B began construction when A was finished however work slowed down due to the start of the Second World War and was halted completely in 1941. Construction was completed in 1955 a time of austerity in the the United Kingdom especially for industrial projects and this was reflected inside with a much more functional interior, a lot more plain compared to the extrovert A plant. Battersea B was winding down in the early 80’s and by 1983 was only producing 143mw of electricity and this would be the last year of use.

The whole building both A and B together were place under Grade II status in 1980. A listed building in the United Kingdom is a structure or building that has architectural or historical importance. It means that a building may not be extended, demolished or altered with out permission from the local planning authorities which limits what can be done on a particular site and is there for less attractive to investors. 

One end of Battersea Power station showing
Both chimneys 

Since it’s decommissioning in 1983 there have been lots of proposals on how to use the site. There was a planned theme park that kicked around for a number of years. When this folded the site became the property of the Bank of America and several other investors. They sold it to a development firm who made restitution to other creditors and bought the freehold on the site . The developers had in mind what you see today a residential area surrounding the former power station and a shopping mall inside. It took a lot of time to get it to the stage of construction but eventually it opened to the public. 

As a Pink Floyd fan I would be most remiss if I omitted the fact that the station was used for the cover of their Album “Animals” 1977 sadly I don’t think they would appreciate my infringement of the copyright so please Google it if you’ve never seen it. 

After taking the picture of the two chimneys I turned the camera off hung it around my neck, I heard an almighty whoop whoop of rotter blades and a RAF Chinook helicopter was framed between them. I missed the shot by 3-4 seconds 😖

Have fun stay safe 👍🏻