Battersea Power Station

The story

From the 1930s until 1983 the station produced up to a fifth of London's electricity, and its chimney plumes guided RAF pilots home in the mist. In 1977 an inflatable pig floated between the southern chimneys for Pink Floyd's Animals cover. After decades of disuse it opened to the public in October 2022. Inside, Art Deco Turbine Hall A contrasts with the plainer 1950s Turbine Hall B, and brickwork, tiles, cranes and old controls sit beside new glass and steel. Shops run from Apple and Chanel to Zara and Uniqlo, with more along the pedestrian Electric Boulevard and in the arches, home to cinemas, a theatre and Battersea Brewery. The Chimney Lift rises up the north-west chimney for 360-degree views, while the riverside lawns fill with deckchairs, food stalls and events.