Battersea Power Station

 

Along with the previous station, Nine Elms, this one opened on the 20th Sept 2021 as an extension to the Northern Line. The station was partially funded by the redevelopment of Battersea power station.  The station has already exceeded passenger usage and another exit with more escalators is due to open next year. It makes a change to be looking at brand new developments.

The Mark Wallinger labyrinth was easy to spot as I alighted the train.

Note the number 110b. Numbers 1-270 were allocated when the art work was commissioned for the 150th anniversary of the first tube trains in 2013. The numbers followed the specific route of those trying to break the world record for visiting every tube station in the least amount of time. The artist has numbered each of them out of 270 so it was decided that the two new stations would not be given the numbers 271 and 272. Instead they have taken the number 110 (Kennington, the previous station's number) and added an 'a' for Nine Elms and 'b' for Battersea Power Station. No doubt this will become  a future quiz question.

Many stations have a quote for the day. 

There is a lot of space outside the station with seating which is unusual. The station design was awarded the 'Architects' Journal Architecture Award with a special mention for the canopy. 

On leaving the station I noticed this sign for a Sunday Market so I decided to have a look. 

It was a huge market and Boot Sale. Much, much bigger than I had anticipated. I didn't really have the time to wander around so I just glanced down one section. It was very busy with the usual items for sale such as clothing, mobile phone accessories, toiletries, footwear etc I'm sure there were bargains to be found but not by me today.

. 

On the way back from the market I passed this attractive looking pub and small hotel. The original pub on this site, known as The Duchess of York was built in 1789 to commemorate the marriage of the Duke of York to Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia. The wedding took place in 1791. That pub was demolished in 1883 to make way for the current building.  

I made a slight detour on the  way back to the station to photograph Battersea Dogs and Cats home. The home originally started in some stables in Holloway, North London in 1860. Mary Tealby established a place where people could send lost dogs and their owners could then retrieve them. She was soon overwhelmed by the number of dogs in her care. She did receive donations from dog loving patrons. She also provided boarding kennels for wealthy clients which helped to fund the centre. One huge help was the endorsement by Charles Dickens who had visited and was impressed with the work the centre was doing. However, local residents were not so impressed with the noise of barking dogs and the smell.

In 1871 the home moved to a location next to railway lines so the noise would not be so noticeable. In 1883 the name was changed to Battersea Dogs Home and it began to accept cats. Its future became future when Queen Victoria became the home's patron in 1885. In 2002 the home was renamed to Battersea Dogs and Cats home. This is where most Londoners would go if they are thinking of having a dog from a refuge. The dogs here are very carefully rehomed and time is taken to match new owner with dog. All dogs must have a clean bill of health before they are allowed to be adopted.

I called into the home to ask about rehoming one of their dogs. I am looking to move in the next year and might become a dog owner. If I do I would hope to get the dog from here

This is Battersea Power Station at the centre of the regeneration of this area. The fully restored Northwest chimney houses a lift that takes you up to 109 metres above London. This station was one of the world's largest brick buildings.  From the 1930s this coal fired power station was a working power station producing a fifth of London's electricity at its peak. It was built as two power stations. 'A' being completed in 1935 and 'B' completed in 1941. Battersea 'A' was decommissioned in 1975 and 'B' closed three years later. In 1980 the buildings were given Grade II listed statue and this was upgraded in 2007. The building remained empty for over 30 years, during which time it deteriorated. Lots of ideas were put forward and was purchased by Battersea Leisure for a theme park in 1987 which fell through. It was purchased by Parkview in 1993 and again their plans failed.

 The Power station and surrounding neighbourhood totalling 42 acres is now owned by Malaysian Investors. The £9bn project involved the creation of a new neighbourhood and business quarter for London as well as the extension to the London Underground and the restoration of the Grade II* listed Power Station. 

The Power Station restoration was the second of eight phases of this huge development. 125 million new bricks were crafted to restore the building. It opened to the public in October 2022. Peregrine Falcons have made the Power Station their home for many ,many years.

 Inside there are hundreds of new shops in the historic turbine halls, cinema, food hall etc. There is also a glass chimney lift which you can just about see at the top of the furthest chimney on the right.

 

The Power Station is next to the River Thames. You can get a ferry from here taking you into the centre of London or upstream to Kingston.

I walked by the river and  under the arches of Battersea railway bridge.

The next bridge to cross The Thames is Chelsea Bridge. A bridge was built here in 1858 and to cross you had to pay a toll. It was built to connect the densely populated north side with a new green area on the other side- Battersea Park. Bowing to public pressure, shortly after the bridge opened, Parliament removed the toll for pedestrians on Sundays and then removed it completely in 1875. Today's bridge was opened in 1937. 

 

There is a steel walkway, fixed to the concrete river wall, which goes underneath the bridge which means you don't have to cross the busy road above. 

The path takes you into Battersea Park, a 200 acre Victorian Park. It is very much a family park with a large lake, playground and a zoo.

Judging by the number of people visiting this new neighbourhood I would say the development has been a success. It is not quite finished as there are more residential blocks of flats still being built. It remains to be seen whether it continues to be a popular place to live and work.

Nine Elms

Nine Elms station only opened in 2021 as part of the Northern line extension to Battersea.

The underground station is close to the site of the former Nine Elms Railway station which opened in May 1838 as the London terminus of the London and Southampton Railway. It didn't last long as it wasn't convenient for travel to central London as you had to complete the journey by road or steam boat. The station closed in July 1848. The track was still used though for goods traffic until 1968.

Being new, it has a large concourse which makes a difference from the previous stations.

There is a Mark Wallinger labyrinth which was installed at the station in Oct 2023 to mark the 160th anniversary of the Underground and the 10 year anniversary of the labyrinth artworks. 

The large windows allow lots of natural light into the ticket hall.

I left the station and made my way towards the signposted pedestrian route to the US Embassy and gardens. The walkway leads you to an archway named Arch 42.

From the pedestrian walkway I could see the New Covent Garden market. This is the fruit and vegetable market mainly for wholesalers but it is open to the public. However, it is open from 4am to 9am so it is unlikely I will be paying a visit.

In Sept 2021 Arch 42 was opened to create a new pedestrian route linking the new underground station with the US Embassy and the river. Arch 42 is one of hundreds of Victorian arches sitting underneath the mainline railway between London Waterloo and Clapham junction. This railway viaduct was constructed in the mid 1800s. As a result of the railway opening here in 1833 the area changed from farming and market gardens to distribution and heavy industry. The area north of Arch 42 was once the home of Nine Elms goods yard and to the south of the arch was a locomotive works.

I walked on round to the American Embassy which moved here from Grosvenor Square in 2017.

The Embassy is surrounded by water. The pond, as it is referred to, is a vital component to the embassy's water system, which aims to retain all the rainwater that falls on the site. This rainwater is either absorbed by the earth or filtered through drainage bioswales and planting trays before being stored in the pond. By using natural storm water management methods, the embassy's water system simultaneously enhances the landscape, prevents pollution from flowing to local waterways and provides irrigation to the meadow and other embassy plantings.

A local information board tells the reader that the planting of tall grasses and wildflowers is reminiscent of both the expansive, rolling American prairies and the site's early history as a River Thames wetland. These plants not only create a diverse, colourful meadow, but also enrich the soil and require little maintenance as they regenerate each spring. The tall grasses and wildflowers additionally provide a year round habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

This whole area, known as the Embassy Gardens, is  a new development with bars, cafes and apartment blocks. One section is a world first with its suspended swimming pool between two blocks.

The Sky pool, which opened in 2021 is suspended 35m above the ground and forms a bridge between the two apartment buildings. It is the world's first floating pool. The roof area was not large enough to accommodate a swimming pool so the architects came up with the idea of this floating 25m pool. It is only available for the residents and guests although I understand you can hire it for a private event. It attracted a fair amount of criticism for being an emblem of the inequalities of economic existence in London.

At ground level, Embassy Gardens has an attractive small green area with lily pad filled ponds in front of restaurants and bars.

As with many new developments there is often new artwork on display. This sculpture of a foot by Simon Fujiwara is titled Modern Marriage. I should have looked at the other side of the sculpture which has a ring embedded in the sole of the foot. Fujiwara's work is often autobiographical so I wonder what relevance this has in his life. The work was not greeted with open arms and was shortlisted for the Spectator's Worst Public Art awards.

This mural by Laura Goossens is called Peace on Paper. The collage design is hand cut from recycled old papers based on seasons and landscapes and shaped with a variety of colours and textures. Work by residents is also featured on the design.

Across the road from the Embassy is the River Thames. Alongside the river is this art installation. It  is called the Nine Elms Pavilion by Linda Florence and Studio Weave. It was designed to be a celebration of the reopening of the riverside path. The steel structure is covered in colourful patterns. These are a reference to bridges built during the industrial revolution which were often painted in vibrant colours. The area has lost most of its industrial heritage and quay structures from this part of the Thames.

Looking upstream from Nine Elms you can see the iconic Battersea Power station, a huge reminder of our industrial heritage. 

Looking in the other direction all you can see are skyscrapers.

Not all the buildings in Nine Elms are new. I walked back to the station via a different route and found a few interesting buildings.

 

This art deco building was once the Granada cinema. It was built in 1936 on the site of a smaller cinema. It's had a mixed history having to close during the war due to the bombing. when it reopened in 1949 it lasted until 1965 when Bingo took the place of films. Then in 1977 it became a skateboard centre for a while and finally in 1986 it became a fitness centre.

This row of shops is the closest to the tube station. 

The mural which was across the road shows you what is on offer locally.

But this traditional craft centre looked the most interesting.

This was the view as I turned to cross the road to the station on the other side.