London - Battersea Power Station
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After a while, something new has appeared in London and that place is worth visiting - Battersea Power Station. And this site is not even included in many tourist guides yet.
Every respectful tourist destination offers travellers a wide variety of entertainment, from exhibitions, museums, and art galleries, to amusement parks and even shopping centres.
One of the well-known categories of these objects is landmarks. Along such famous landmarks as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Colosseum in Rome the Battersea Power Station looks quite impressive.
The methods of building and presenting these objects as well as their offerings to visitors can be very different, but they have one thing in common - they are all well known internationally and become symbols of those places they are located.
From the second half of 2023, a new object in London has been opened for viewing and visiting. Battersea Power Station complements such existing attractions as the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Kensington Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and others. Battersea Power Station offers a historical insight into London's history, as well as many opportunities to eat, relax and shop. And you get a chance to see the London skyline from over 100 meters above sea level. In addition, all this is created in a modern style using the latest technologies. Recently, as of early 2024, 11 million people have visited this site.
The story about Battersea Power Station
Battersea was a coal-fired power station which became a National Historic Landmark when it was decommissioned in the second part of the 20th century. The first stage of the station was built between 2029 and 1935, and the second stage was put into operation in 1955. Accordingly, the first stage of the power plant ceased operation in 1975, and the second stage was three years after that.
The architecture of the power plant was made in the style of a brick cathedral, of which there are not many examples. Apparently for this reason, in 1980 the entire complex of buildings was given the status of a listed building. Despite repeated attempts to rebuild the area, for a very long time, nothing new was started due to lack of funding. While all the buildings were standing empty and abandoned until 2014, it led to the situation that they started looking like ruins.
The situation finally changed after investors from Malaysia agreed to renovate the buildings and nearby structures. The intention was to create a business and entertainment centre, as well as a new residential area. However, it was also required that the restored complex retain its historical appearance.
Since the money was found, the reconstruction of the main building of the power plant was completed in 2022, and the entire complex with a total area of 17 hectares was put into operation in 2023. The total investment in the reconstruction of the complex reached almost 9 billion pounds (10.5 billion euros).
There are other noteworthy facts associated with the restoration of this place. For example, the London Underground’s Northern line was extended by 3 kilometres and two new metro stations were built. Total investment in the development of the metro network exceeded £1 billion. It was the first major expansion of the London Underground network since 1999, and the new section opened in 2021.
Getting there
Unlike most London attractions, Battersea Power Station is located on the right bank of the Thames River.
We headed to Battersea Power Station after visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, so it was most convenient to take a bus to Chelsea Bridge. When you get off at the bridge on the left bank of the Thames River, you will have to cross the bridge, walking a total of less than a kilometre. It's worth doing this way as you can observe the surrounding area from the bridge.
The easiest way, of course, is to take the Northern Line underground line to the Battersea Power Station stop, and from there walk about 400 meters to the station. Just be aware that not all southbound Northern Line trains go to this station. If you miss the correct train, your last chance to change is at Kennington Station (near the Elephant and Castle - if you're there, it means you have to change trains).
Attractions
In total, the site has about 140 establishments of various types: from shops and bars to a cinema.
Upon entering the power plant complex, you will immediately notice the fact that the whole interior does look like an industrial facility. Even individual rooms have retained their original appearance. For example, if you enter the bar in Control Room B, from the bar tables will see the power plant’s control panel.
The prices overall are not lower than the London average, but in some cases, they can be a little higher. The main reason for this is that this is a fairly new and relatively posh area of London. This is evidenced by the fact that such a company as Apple has chosen this area as the location for its central London office, where around 3,000 employees are expected to work across six floors.
Shopping mall
The shopping centre features such famous brands as Apple, Boss, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Jigsaw, L’Occitane, Lacoste, Lego, Mango, Nike, Omega, Ralph Lauren, Superdry, Tag Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger and Zara.
Entertainment
If you add to the entertainment such establishments as a cinema, an exhibition hall and mini golf, food and refreshments in bars, the choice is also quite impressive. Including such well-known brands as Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Wagamama, in total more than 50 different venues for entertainment are available.
Other attractions
The complex has a virtual reality zone where you can visit Egyptian pyramids, fight dragons or meet zombies. Just to add that I haven't been there yet, so cannot comment on those.
However, the most impressive place is Lift 109. You can take the trip on an elevator to get up inside one of the station’s pipes to a height of 109 metres and to watch the London skyline. I recommend this and it may be an even better alternative to the London Eye.
It's best to book your tickets in advance as this attraction is in high demand. The adult ticket cost £17, in my opinion, this was a very reasonable price for what we got. Various multimedia effects are used to make the entire journey even more exciting.
Why to visit Battersea Power Station?
If you have already visited enough museums and exhibitions, then this is a place where you can have a good time, eat good food, watch a film and observe London from above. What I liked most was the fact that being in a historic building it feels in every way that you live in the twenty-first century - history, heritage, technology and the opportunity to relax as you wish.