Battersea Power Station

Anyone who is vaguely familiar with London will recognise these chimneys.  Battersea Power Station has been an iconic sight in London since the 1930s.  Today we paid it our first visit.  It is, of course, no longer a power station, it ceased generation in 1983.  After many years as a 'ruin', it was converted to a retail space.   I understood this before we arrived, or even decided to book on to the BDRA trip.  Nevertheless, I found the trip slightly disappointing.  The amazing building has three levels of high-end retail.  I'm not one to shopping unless I know what I want.  I didn't go with that agenda.   Jo went up the chimney lift, which gives you a few minutes to look out over London, to Wembley, Wimbledon and the city centre.  I stayed in the museum, with my 'carer ticket' issued for free.  Nice of the very young lady selling tickets to let me in for nothing. This is where the disappointment comes in.  The museum is poor, or perhaps extremely basic.  There is the briefest history of the build, a simplistic explanation of the process of generating electricity: coal in, steam out, turbines generate power, the synchronising controls that match requirements for the grid - voltage, frequency and phase.  That's it - what a missed opportunity.

The inside is truly impressive, if you look above the shops.  The crane was used to move materials around the power station.  It would be lovely to see it working, providing views of the interior of the building.  It simply supports a walk-way, that we could not find access to.  It's also worth mentioning that the direction boards in the retail space are wrong.  Twice we tried to find the nearest toilets.  Both times we were directed the wrong way.  Once said go left (should have been right), the other said turn around.  I don't know what that should have been.  Outside there is a land train that circles the building and plays a short recording describing some of the power station.  I don't know if it was any good because the background noise of London and the surrounding area made it impossible to hear most of it.

Outside there is a land train that circles the building and plays a short recording describing some of the power station.  I don't know if it was any good because the background noise of London and the surrounding area made it impossible to hear most of it.

Outside, at the site entrance, there is a sculpture made of metal fins.  I couldn't find anything describing it.  Maybe it was there to symbolise the turbine, but I immediately thought "What is Smaug doing here?".