Located in south-west London, on the south bank of the Thames, the vast industrial building is impressive.
With its four huge chimneys touching the sky and its surface area of more than 24,000 m2, the Battersea Power Station is a place steeped in history.
It is from there that the power supply of Buckingham Palace came from as well as that intended for the “Houses of Parliament”, the Palace of Westminster.
In pop culture too, the places have left their mark: they served as a backdrop for various artistic, musical and cinematographic works, such as the cover of the album
Animals
by Pink Floyd, released in 1977.
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While in its heyday Battersea Power Station supplied up to a fifth of London's electricity, it went through years of uncertainty after it closed in 1983, remaining disused for around 30 years.
Then, in 2012, the site was finally taken over by a consortium of Malaysian investors.
The latter are then responsible for giving the place a new raison d'être: the Battersea Power Station will now act as a center of activity for the whole district, thus giving it a new attractiveness and converting it into a unifying place to live.
A nice boost for this less visible (and less busy) area than its posh neighbors on the opposite shore, Chelsea and Pimlico.
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A new business hub for the southeast
The huge building of the Battersea Power Station, recognizable among a thousand.
Jason Hawkes
Until now, the two major shopping centers in London were those of Westfield, respectively located at the eastern and western ends of the capital.
They didn't really have an equivalent in the center, apart from the department stores.
Enough to oblige customers living in the south-east to take long minutes on the metro to have access to the convenience of shopping concentrated in one place.
Like the opening of Coal Drops Yard at the end of 2018 in St Pancras (again in rehabilitated old warehouses), the reconversion of the Battersea Power Station is reshuffling the cards, with a hybrid and high-end place combining commercial space, catering, residential and office space.
The shopping offer includes mass-market brands (Uniqlo, Mango, Nike), more specialized stores, but also luxury boutiques (Cartier, Rolex).
On the office side, Apple has just set up its London campus within the grounds of the former power station.
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In terms of catering, there is notably the unbeatable Gordon Ramsay, who has also opened a pizzeria in the new “Circus West Village”.
This area adjacent to the Power Station, completed in 2017, overlooks the River Thames.
Finally, a control room of this mythical power plant will become a bar (which will open soon), while the second has been transformed into an event room.
Note, the control panels have been kept.
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A luxury hotel
One of the old “Control Room” has been converted into a function room for events.
James Parsons
As well as restaurants, bars, a cinema and other leisure spaces, Battersea Power Station – and its adjoining new area – will become a residential area in its own right.
In the Power Station itself there is a complex of apartments, ranging from studios to luxury villas with private
rooftops
and breathtaking views of the London skyline and the famous chimneys of the Power Station.
Around it, new buildings have also sprung up, located on the brand new Electric Boulevard (we will appreciate the name), the construction of which began in 2015. Finally, a luxury hotel, the art'otel, will open very shortly.
Practical notebook
The second control room, transformed into a bar.
Battersea Power Station/Press Photo
TO NOTE
While most of the shops will have opened before Christmas, the Arcade Food Hall will open in 2023, like the fitness area.
GO
The places are served by a metro station, Battersea Power Station, a brand new extension of the Northern Line inaugurated in 2021. You can also get there by the river, via urban transport boats.
Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW8 5BN