Lift 109

When you book a ticket at the last minute, you play catch up. That happened to me when I booked my ticket for the day to go up a chimney. Not any old chimney, I might add. It was the Battersea Power Station Chimney.

Not only did I book my ticket at the last minute, but the recent bed bug scare in London meant I went a long way to Battersea Power Station.

It is remarkable to think once upon a time, the Chimneys worked hard to generate electricity for London. Today, it's become a regeneration dream.

Chasing Time

With 2 minutes to spare, I still needed to go through airport-style security before heading into the Gallery Area. I made it.

However, I missed the build-up and the gallery in Turbine Hall 1, which detailed the history and collector's original artefacts. The transformation of the Power Station will enlighten you.

We all waited before entering The Infinity Room, an interactive room with nice, immersive visuals. You are encouraged to touch the visuals, which rise, fall and speed up with your touch.

A Special Lift

An express lift took us from the base of the North West Chimney. We then climbed a flight of stairs (about 30 steps) in the Chimney to get to the glass lift, which took us to the top, 109 metres above the ground. It was very well organised, and the staff were available for those with mobility issues.

However, I felt hot because it was a humid day in London, and we were ten-plus people in a small, confined space. If you don't like confined spaces, try going during a less popular time.

The Wow Factor

Our friendly lift operator told us what would happen, and within seconds, we went up. I felt like I was going up to meet Willy Wonka in the glass lift. The lift is made of glass with a glass ceiling, and the build-up was very exciting.

It was a beautiful clear day and I could miles around London. I saw familiar landmarks like the Albert Bridge, Albert Hall, the Shard, Crystal Palace, Victoria, and Wembley Stadium.

The lift's music, lights and ambience increased the anticipation because I didn't know what to expect.

As you know by now, I like spending time in the air. As we reached the top, we saw London in front of us. We saw the Power Station from the top. It was a sight to be seen.

As we jostled to take the necessary pictures, we admired the magnificent achievement of the Power Station transformation. It is an impressive achievement.

Within 10 minutes, it was time to return to reality, which was seamless.

I found this too short, but they run these tours every half hour and must accommodate everyone.

Battersea Power Station History

Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II Listed Coal-fired power station in Nine Elms in Battersea. The striking building is one of the most significant brick buildings in the world.

The building comprises two power stations, built in two stages. Battersea A Power Station was built between 1929 and 1935, and Battersea B Power Station, to its east, between 1937 and 1941, when construction paused owing to WWII.

Battersea B Power Station provided one-fifth of London's electricity. Water cycled through the power station's systems was taken from the Thames.

As a result, the station could extract an average of 1.5 gigalitres (340,000,000 imperial gallons) of water from the river daily.

Facts

❇️Battersea A was decommissioned in 1975, and Battersea B in 1978.

❇️The building remained empty until 2014; until then, it was left as a derelict building.

❇️The Power Station operated for forty years until coal went off fashion in generating electricity. There was a push to move towards oil, gas and nuclear power.

❇️Nobody knew what to do with the decommissioned power station. There were numerous plans to turn it into a theme park, a luxury hotel or high-end living. None of these came to fruition. However, you can see the models presented in the exhibition on the Lower Floor. It's worth popping into if you have time and want to know more about the history.

❇️There are 800 homes of varying sizes around the Power Station. There are also 254 flats inside the Power Station.

❇️In 2016, Apple announced it would be relocating 1400 from seven different locations inside the Power Station.

Parting Comments

Apart from how short the experience was - for me, it was 20 minutes from arrival until the end, it was a wonderful experience.

Next time I go, I'd boom in advance and turn up earlier to make the most of the experience.

Additionally, if you know anyone at Apple, you might want to try and bag an invite to the Apple HQ and see if you could go up to their rooftop leisurely.

Thank you for your attention.

Best Wishes

Tabby London