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Battersea Power Station in London is a defunct power station that was the first in a series of large coal-fired electrical generating facilities set up in England as part of the National Grid power distribution system then being introduced. The first part of the structure was built in 1939, and the station ceased electricity-generation in 1983. Since then the site has remained largely unused, with numerous failed redevelopment plans from successive site owners. The building is the largest brick-built structure in Europe and is notable for its original and lavish Art Deco fittings and decor. The building is Grade II* listed, and the condition was described as "very bad" by English Heritage, who have included it on their Buildings at Risk Register. The site has been owned by Irish company Real Estate Opportunities (REO) since November 2006, after they purchased it for £400 million.
BackgroundDuring the 1930s electricity was supplied by municipal undertakings - small companies that built stations dedicated to a single industry or group of factories and sold any excess power to the public. Due to differing standards of voltage and frequency, Parliament decided that the power grid should be a single system under public ownership. This sparked a storm of protest from those who thought that the government should not be involved and it would be another 30 years before nationalisation was completed. Meanwhile, several private power companies reacted to the proposals by forming the London Power Company in 1925. Their plan was to build a smaller number of very large stations and sell the power to anyone who wanted it. Their first power station was planned for the Battersea area on the south bank of the River Thames in London.
ArchitectureThis sparked protests from those who felt the building was too large and would be an eyesore, and from those who were worried about the pollution. The company addressed the former by hiring Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, a noted architect and industrial designer (also famous for the design of the red telephone box, of Liverpool Cathedral and also another London power station, Bankside, which now houses the Tate Modern art gallery). The resulting design is a steel-framed building with brickwork hung from the outside, similar to the skyscrapers being built in the US at the time. Construction, which was carried out by John Mowlem & Co, started in 1929 and was completed by 1939. Most of the electrical equipment including the steam turbogenerators was supplied by the Metropolitan Vickers company. The original power station had a single long hall with a chimney at either end. From 1953 to 1955 a second Station B, identical from the outside, was constructed alongside the original, which then became known as Station A. This gave the station its familiar four-chimney layout. Far from being an eyesore, the station has since become one of London's most famous landmarks and is generally loved.
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