Although its bulk can be seen from afar – and it’s hard to miss on the Thames next to Vauxhall – the sheer size of Battersea Power Station will still impress you up close.
Built between 1929 and 1955, this Art Deco building is one of the largest brick buildings in the world. One of its architects, Giles Gilbert Scott, also designed the famous red telephone box as well as the Bankside Power Station, which now houses the Tate Modern.
At its peak, Battersea supplied a fifth of London’s electricity needs, but ceased generating electricity in 1983. It was listed as a historic monument in 1980.
Subscribe The week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news and analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for the free weekly newsletter
From our morning news roundup to our weekly Good News newsletter, get the best of the week delivered straight to your inbox.
From our morning news roundup to our weekly Good News newsletter, get the best of the week delivered straight to your inbox.
After many years of decay, the building was sold to Malaysian developers in 2018 in what was then the UK’s largest property deal, and the power station reopened in 2022. This year it won three awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects for its restoration.
The best first impression is to take the River Bus to Battersea Power Station and enjoy the great views from the Coaling Jetty, where ships delivered coal to fuel the turbines and where there are now a few bars. The underground station of the same name on a branch of the Northern Line opened in 2021.
Take lift 109 to the top of the tower
On the way to the chimney top
(Photo credit: Joshua Atkins)
Before you climb, there is an exhibition on the history of the building. You are led into a small room where an immersive light show reveals more about its past. Then you climb 39 steps, and as the stairs curve, you realise you are at the bottom of the chimney.
The elevator is round, with transparent walls and a transparent roof, and travels quickly and quietly upwards through colored rings of light before emerging from the chimney at the top.
Since there are no tall buildings nearby, the view from above is undisturbed
(Photo credit: Joshua Atkins)
There is no room for a platform so you have to stay in the lift but the 360 degree views are stunning. You can of course see the other chimneys, the roof of the power station, the new main road, Electric Boulevard, behind the power station, river traffic and across to the Royal Hospital. Further away we spotted MI6 headquarters, Crystal Palace, The Shard and Wembley Arch.
And after you’ve seen London’s landmarks, take a look at the chimney wall and notice how disturbingly thin it is!
Back on Earth, the exit leads through the gift shop.
Adults from £17; children (3-15) from £12.60. Online bookings are cheaper – prices on the door are £23.60 and £17.55. The lift is called Lift 109 because it is 109 metres to the top.
Interior view
In contrast to its loud, hot and dirty origins, it is light, airy and calming inside, with plain tiled walls featuring occasional details such as curlicues or brick patterns, and no garish advertisements.
Along the Turbine Hall there are walkways lined with shops, bars and restaurants as well as a cinema, table tennis tables and virtual reality games.
On the first floor, there’s an exhibition detailing redevelopment plans over the years, some of which we’re thankful never came to fruition. Look out for clues to the building’s past – pop into Uniqlo to see the retro metal-framed windows, and look upstairs for gantry cranes and taxis.
Food and Drink
There are over 50 places to eat and drink, from fine dining to grab-and-go snacks. Find Mexican tortillas at El Pastor, a Mediterranean menu at Megan’s, comfort food at Tashas and Portuguese custard tarts at Santa Nata or gelato at Venchi.
We opted for fresh pasta at Noci. Our mains were a shrimp and ricotta raviolo with baby zucchini and rigatoni with spicy green olive and chili pesto, both with pasta cooked perfectly al dente and fresh ingredients.
From our table at Noci we could see Control Room B, which oversaw the output of Turbine Hall B, and since it’s now a cocktail bar, it would soon oversee our input. Sit towards the back for a close-up look at the control panels, switchgear and mysterious 1950s buttons, switches, dials and gauges.
Control Room B originally monitored the performance of Turbine Hall B
(Photo credit: Johnny Stephens)
Presented as a rolled-up blueprint, the menu includes drinks named after electricity-generating processes and devices, such as the Voltmeter, Synchroscope and Feeder B1. Topping vodka, peach and passionfruit with a sparkling wine foam, the Ammeter – with its nod to the 1930s through the addition of Fassionola, a red fruit syrup – is the perfect toast to a day in south London with flights of fancy and a touch of history.
