Visited with 4 others. Thanks to all, particularly those whose knowledge from previous visits made things easier.
For the last 25 years schemes have been put forward to develop the site into something else, as the site switches owners: Theme Parks, leisure facilities, 'affordable' housing, you name it, they've dreamed it.
The site is in a very bad condition. The largest brick building in Europe stands close to collapse, £150 Million quoted as the cost to simply make it safe again, let alone make it useful. In 2006 it was purchased by REO (An Irish Development company) for £400 Million. This is prime land.
Lets look at the history of the site.
It was built in two parts, Station A taking ten years to complete and being opened on the eve of World War II, and an almost exact replica, Station B, being built over three years and being completed in 1955, giving the station it's famous 4 chimneys. in 1975 the ageing A Station was closed, with B station following it 8 years later.
There's something about a night like this. When I started exploring every trip was a new adventure, now it often seems like I'm treading old ground. Late on the evening of the first Sunday of the year I sat up Kings Point with Bob_in_disguise and Firefly, and toasted a new year of hope and opportunity, and said that by the start of 2009, I wanted to have visited this iconic site. There were a few others as well, but the Paris Catacombs and Chernobyl would have to wait for another day.
The buildings are simply huge. When it's said that it's the biggest brick building in Europe, it's easy to compare it to others, questionning it's status, but when you're standing next to it and have to crane your neck just to see the chimney, there's no question in your mind.
Battersea is Collosal.
One of the highlights of Battersea is the Art Deco control rooms. Reminiscient of Pyestock, but on a far larger scale; switches, fuse plugs, buttons and levers stretch as far as the eye can see, each one anonymous in its use but collectively, the key to Central London's power for half a century.
This was Control Room B, built in the fifties. Stories abound of Control Room A being infiltrated, Marble floors, high ceilings and Brass instruments featuring.
This is the roof of the Turbine hall for B Station. There are photos online of it in it's 70s, the high ceilings, control panels and Yellow turbines looking a lot more real, from a completely different age altogether.
Upstairs, near the roof, there are long halls that probably once housed parts of the boilers. Dmax told of the coal being obliterated to dust to produce obscene levels of heat that powered the turbines.
In the 1990s plans were afoot to turn this into accomodation, following trends of converting warehouses. Tall windows, open plan living space? There's plenty of room for that here.
There are remains from what I assume was an exhibition of potential use, poetically piled against the aging machinery.
This is 'B' Turbine Hall
Look at the Herras Fencing in the picture above. I didn't count the number of flights of stairs we climbed, but I think I would have lost count. The fencing looks tiny. It's actually 8 foot tall.
Midnight came and went, the 5 of us engrossed in the buildings, the explore.
Peeling Paint is a common theme everywhere you go, stencilled instructions to workers regularly seen on Industrial sites. this could be anywhere.
1am was approaching. We spent a good half hour between the two Stations, surrounded on 4 sides by Huge chimneys. Modern Coal fired stations have cooling towers shaped, as you can imagine, to cool the air and prevent burning through the atmosphere. Failing that, they passed the air through water to cool it down. At Battersea, they pumped high into the London Sky. Any wonder there were problems with 'smog' in the second half of the 20th century?
And so we left, completely bemusing a cyclist as he sees one person after another appearing over the wall.
For the last 25 years schemes have been put forward to develop the site into something else, as the site switches owners: Theme Parks, leisure facilities, 'affordable' housing, you name it, they've dreamed it.
The site is in a very bad condition. The largest brick building in Europe stands close to collapse, £150 Million quoted as the cost to simply make it safe again, let alone make it useful. In 2006 it was purchased by REO (An Irish Development company) for £400 Million. This is prime land.
Lets look at the history of the site.
It was built in two parts, Station A taking ten years to complete and being opened on the eve of World War II, and an almost exact replica, Station B, being built over three years and being completed in 1955, giving the station it's famous 4 chimneys. in 1975 the ageing A Station was closed, with B station following it 8 years later.
There's something about a night like this. When I started exploring every trip was a new adventure, now it often seems like I'm treading old ground. Late on the evening of the first Sunday of the year I sat up Kings Point with Bob_in_disguise and Firefly, and toasted a new year of hope and opportunity, and said that by the start of 2009, I wanted to have visited this iconic site. There were a few others as well, but the Paris Catacombs and Chernobyl would have to wait for another day.
Battersea is Collosal.
One of the highlights of Battersea is the Art Deco control rooms. Reminiscient of Pyestock, but on a far larger scale; switches, fuse plugs, buttons and levers stretch as far as the eye can see, each one anonymous in its use but collectively, the key to Central London's power for half a century.
This was Control Room B, built in the fifties. Stories abound of Control Room A being infiltrated, Marble floors, high ceilings and Brass instruments featuring.
This is the roof of the Turbine hall for B Station. There are photos online of it in it's 70s, the high ceilings, control panels and Yellow turbines looking a lot more real, from a completely different age altogether.
Upstairs, near the roof, there are long halls that probably once housed parts of the boilers. Dmax told of the coal being obliterated to dust to produce obscene levels of heat that powered the turbines.
In the 1990s plans were afoot to turn this into accomodation, following trends of converting warehouses. Tall windows, open plan living space? There's plenty of room for that here.
There are remains from what I assume was an exhibition of potential use, poetically piled against the aging machinery.
This is 'B' Turbine Hall
Look at the Herras Fencing in the picture above. I didn't count the number of flights of stairs we climbed, but I think I would have lost count. The fencing looks tiny. It's actually 8 foot tall.
Midnight came and went, the 5 of us engrossed in the buildings, the explore.
Peeling Paint is a common theme everywhere you go, stencilled instructions to workers regularly seen on Industrial sites. this could be anywhere.
1am was approaching. We spent a good half hour between the two Stations, surrounded on 4 sides by Huge chimneys. Modern Coal fired stations have cooling towers shaped, as you can imagine, to cool the air and prevent burning through the atmosphere. Failing that, they passed the air through water to cool it down. At Battersea, they pumped high into the London Sky. Any wonder there were problems with 'smog' in the second half of the 20th century?
And so we left, completely bemusing a cyclist as he sees one person after another appearing over the wall.
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