# Battersea Power Station Summer '09 - The Full Monty Thread (pic heavy)



## GE066 (Oct 8, 2009)

An oldie but goldie, in fact one of my favourite explores. Looking at previous posts, I felt there was still more to show from here, and this post contains pretty much everything to see in the station. Kirkbride has some good interior shots http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=8602&highlight=battersea The BBC have also been in on the act. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/uk_battersea_power_station/html/6.stm
Most visits by myself or with Liamch over the summer. Some visits hampered by a night hike for cancer and a pop video being made, but not ruined.

Everyone knows the score with this place. Battersea is a combination of two power stations, Station A (Western side) was built in the early 1930s and completed fully in 1934. Demand lead to a second station joining the first on the eastern side, after a national naming competition, Station B was chosen as the name. Completed in 1953. Theo J. Halliday was the original architect and responsible for the Art Deco gloriousness still visible in Station A, particularly in the Control Room. You can see old photos here http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/?cat=131

The station is a London icon, and one most Londoners are proud of. Because of this it has had heavy preservation orders slapped on it over time. Various plans have come and gone, and the latest one is by Real Estate Opportunities. They will introduce a new energy plant there, along with commercial and residential schemes to revive the area. Along with the proposed American Embassy nearby, it’s likely to lead to an extension of the Northern Line.

As an icon, it has been used in lots of visual media. The most famous probably being the Pink Floyd Animals album cover. It also appeared in an early Hitchcock film, Sabotage [nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCp1J46Zfy0[/nomedia] (1m58s into clip). The Control Room A is seen in Monty Python’s Meaning of Life [nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWlUu54muOs[/nomedia] And those Mod boys The Jam did a pop video for News of the World on the roof of Station B [nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6epLYey3N7A[/nomedia]

On with the explore and pics…

1) Just in case you didn’t know what the place is like






2) Plans room





3) Plans of a different kind. Look carefully at the smaller photo, you can just see they had plans at one time for a white Eiffel Tower like structure.





4) It’s almost sad the way they’ve been trying to save the Station, with different plans over the years.





5) Wages window, with peely paint for its fans…





6) View from chimney scaffold over Station B lower roof





7) Station B stairwell





8) Station B top floor hall, it has a pulley system either side of a central block





9) I love the light through the windows on the wall in this. I know it’s not the greatest of shots.





10) Wide shot of Control Room B





11) It’s switchcraft I tell ya. Control Room B





12) C’est moi in Control Room B. Must have been some dirt on the lens or my face.





13) 3 of the 5 lovely art deco prints that are above Turbine Hall A





14) The unpleasant sight greeting those at the door of Control Room A. Counting the ripped out holes, this is the 5th padlock on there. Sadly some feel necessary to use force.





15) The structure on the western-most side of Station A





16) Using advanced miniature robot technology, I was able to get these Control Room A shots. This is the wide/establishing shot





17) Desk shot





18) The gorgeous ceiling





19) Scaring pigeons for a photo, looking from Station A roof across to Station B





20) Looking North to South along roof of Station A. Past visitors will notice white covers on the roof glass now.





21) Art Deco stairway around lift. Ground floor directors entrance, Station A





22) Directors Lift





23) Directors Lift. I love how the greeny coloured light comes through.





24) Service Tunnel. It's in the basement and leads to another section that goes around a corner with a layer of water. No idea how deep it was.





25) I’ll be leaving now





Hope this has been a good read/view. Please don’t post pics in any replies, it’s bandwidth heavy enough. I’ve numbered them should you want to quote.

If you’ve not had enough, there are another 12 pics here, I didn’t feel were needed for this. http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r176/bukowski_jr/Batty%20Sea%20PS/


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## KrYptiX (Oct 8, 2009)

really like number 19 - good work!


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## Lightbuoy (Oct 8, 2009)

WOW -jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Thanks you for sharing!


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## jonney (Oct 8, 2009)

They certainly knew how to make buildings in them days. The art deco work is fantastic especially when you think its inside a power station


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## Sabtr (Oct 8, 2009)

Wow!

I always thought that this place was a hollowed out powerstation with the odd switch left here and there. This place needs to be saved. The Art-Deco architecture is fabulous.


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## Badoosh (Oct 8, 2009)

Haven't really seen as much interior shots of this so makes a refreshing change. Thanks for giving us a different angle on this fantastic building!


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## Lost Explorer (Oct 8, 2009)

Wow fantastic! Never seen those rooms before. Didn't realise it was that good inside! I feel a trip coming on


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## godzilla73 (Oct 8, 2009)

Just glorious. That control room looks like it could have come straight out of the set of _Metropolis_. Sensational work, to which most of us can only aspire.


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## SONAR (Oct 8, 2009)

Great report its on the list


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## Black Shuck (Oct 9, 2009)

P.M sent Mo2W.


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## GE066 (Oct 9, 2009)

Cheers for the compliments. The middle of the building is a shell, and most of the floors, but there's a load of offices and what not in the south east corner. The control rooms are both sealed and have clearly been protected, so at some point in the future will be a museum or something i imagine.

If you have access to Cable/Sky, check out The Bill 'Debt of Love' episode on Alibi at 8am on the 17th Nov & 21st Nov '09, or 1.15am on the 18th Nov. It features loads of internal and external shots of the building, including the building sadly pulled down. I'll try an cobble together the bits and pop them on youtube, posting a link here.


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## fluffy5518 (Oct 9, 2009)

Mate, this is sensational. !!!!! Fantastic photography shows off this icon perfectly !!! Dead jealous !!!!


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## Landsker (Oct 9, 2009)

you can never get enough pics of this place, every time I see photos it just gets better and better. great photos too mate.


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## klempner69 (Oct 9, 2009)

Brilliant set there fella...this place is a one-off for sure.


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## the-sinner (Oct 10, 2009)

Great shots there! love control room B, now I know where the original cover for Hawkwind's "Quark, Strangeness & Charm" was shot! I never realised it was a real place!


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## godzilla73 (Oct 10, 2009)

the-sinner said:


> Great shots there! love control room B, now I know where the original cover for Hawkwind's "Quark, Strangeness & Charm" was shot! I never realised it was a real place!



You know I 've owned that album for twenty years, and never made the connection! But thats it alright!


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## james.s (Oct 11, 2009)

Control room A is beautiful! Nice work on getting in.


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## GE066 (Oct 11, 2009)

the-sinner said:


> Great shots there! love control room B, now I know where the original cover for Hawkwind's "Quark, Strangeness & Charm" was shot! I never realised it was a real place!








Nice addition to info on this place, Pink Floyd not being the only one to benefit. They've photoshopped (or 70's equivalent) one of the instrument stands to behind the console desk.


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## wolfism (Oct 11, 2009)

Impressive and atmospheric set of photos – looks like you've covered a lot more of Battersea than any other explorer has.


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## Anthillmob74 (Oct 19, 2009)

marvellous! i saw some thing about it on bbc news this evening and knew i had to have a look on here to see if [silly question] it had been exp,lored.

love that last shot.


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## ugly77 (Oct 20, 2009)

*wow*

i love the look of here even if im a pit pony! pic 25 is awesome amazing post mate:wideeyed:


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## Cuban B. (Oct 20, 2009)

Most thorough set of pics I've seen from this place, makes me want to go


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## Adrenaline (Oct 20, 2009)

same here, the place looks amazing!

nice report and pics


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## tobester1985 (Oct 22, 2009)

I didnt think it was possible to get in there, used to pass it now and again when I worked in london. Will definetly have to make a trip up there now.


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## aimone (Nov 1, 2009)

absolutely fantastic. Would instantly fly to London if it was possible to get inside.


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## mc_nebula (Nov 2, 2009)

Grats on getting in mate, its a tough cookie... I have been in before, but security are fairly on the ball. Its not easy. A warning for those reading this, apparently, the control room now has PIR's in... beware?


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## GE066 (Nov 11, 2009)

Popped back 'recently' to watch the fireworks in Battersea Park from the chimney base. Bit of an experience, something some may want to note in their diaries for next year.





Eagle eyes will be able to spot Lots Road Power Station in the background.


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## odeon master (Nov 11, 2009)

fantastic to see this, had no idea such wonderful fixtures and fittings were still in situ .
Due to the fact so much is intact, is the powerstation to become a museum?
cheers,

THE ODEON


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## chubs (Mar 2, 2010)

sorry to drag a old report up, but i really liked it top stuff mate


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## dead pigeon (Mar 3, 2010)

That’s not what I was expecting! The ceiling is astonishing.. . The lift shaft at the base of the staircase reminds me of something similar by Gaudi, but this is more Art-deco obviously. Good job Sir!


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## swanseamale47 (Mar 3, 2010)

Great explore and cracking pics, i love the "art decor" look of some parts.


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