Battersea Power Station

Listed building

Explorer Tom

Battersea Power Station sits beside the Thames looking as if four enormous chimneys have called a board meeting and forgotten to invite the rest of London. Come up close to its brown brick walls and you will find a former electricity giant whose public halls now hum with people rather than turbines. Work began in 1929, and the station grew in stages until its fourth chimney was finished in 1955. Engineer Leonard Pearce helped shape the scheme, while Sir Giles Gilbert Scott refashioned its exterior and J. Theo Halliday gave parts of the interior their Art Deco swagger. At its peak it supplied almost a fifth of London's electricity; generation ended in 1983. The Grade II* listing covers the real industrial landmark on Cringle Street, not a nearby building borrowing its famous name. Step inside and Turbine Hall A supplies the grand reveal: its restored faience surfaces make a power station feel almost indecently dressed for a night out. The old turbine spaces now hold shops, places to eat and other attractions, so do not expect a working generator to offer you a tour. Tom suspects the chimneys still discuss London's lighting bill after closing time, although the staff have been remarkably discreet about it. The building reopened to the public in October 2022. Public areas are free to enter, but the Chimney Lift up the north-west chimney requires a ticket; check its current times before travelling. You can simply stroll through the halls, then head outside to see how those four white stacks rule the riverside skyline. Electricity has moved on, but this place still knows how to make an entrance.

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