please empty your brain below

I hope some work soon gets underway to renovate the site which is a bit of a derelict looking eyesore. I fancy a ride up one of the new chimneys.
I suppose the chimneys at Battersea will be dismantled bit by bit and then rebuilt.
Kingston had a two chimney power station by the River Thames which has been demolished, there is a video on YouTube of the chimneys coming down in two planned explosions.
I wonder why people want to keep Battersea's old building as unlike other art decor buildings, an old theatre for example, most people never went inside the building, it has no connections with famous people having appeared there, and when it was in use, even with attempts at cleaning, it added to air pollution, and carbon emissions.
Its moment of fame came in April 1964 when a fault at Battersea Power station closed down BBC2 TV on its opening night.
It is now an empty shell with no roof,if the generating equipment had been left inside it would be worth saving as an industrial museum, but to me it is now mainly a big pile of bricks.
I enjoyed reading your blog. Is it possible to subscribe?

dg writes: Sorry no. But it's always here.
Everything has to earn money these days. What better way than, yet another, shopping mall?

What would you do with the place, DG?
I personally feel that once dead and dying buildings are turned into the ubiquitous 'luxury flats' and posh retail, much of their spirit is gone for ever. Much better to make them public space if possible, such as with Tate Modern - or Salt's Mill, as you featured earlier, DG. Lovely place.

For a similar powerstation restoration that's been really well done, I thought of this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56553246@N00/46334402/in/photolist-56tB1-a4xUiP-4JWhMA-6cLrPv-7M7ugm-6cQz4L-6cQyWQ-dns4pC-8vyPrg
(sorry, no inside pics)
which was sensitively restored and turned into this:
http://www.hillpartnerships.co.uk/?page=CaseStudies&cid=6&gunpowder-mill,-waltham-abbey
Fabulous bit of writing.
So many people would like to see this building restored, yet object to the only uses which could afford to do so. I really think if this scheme fails it would be best to call it a day and knock the thing down. I love industrial architecture, but to me Battersea Power Station is not worth preserving regardless of cost. It was a nice try, but we may have to move on.
Ooops - when I say "regardless of cost" I mean it would have been worth preserving, but this pretty much looks unaffordable now.
Have you ever been to Vienna? There, they have some old gas-holders converted into a shopping mall, cinema and student housing. When you're inside, it looks like any other shopping mall, but it does look great from the outside. I expect that is what will happen with Battersea, too.

They can't pull the building down - how else will you know when you are approaching Victoria Station and it is time to put your coat on? (Memories from over 50 years ago when we would travel to London to visit a grandmother who lived here!).
Surely crossing the Thames is sufficient clue that you're approaching Victoria?

My father worked at most of the London power stations during his CEGB career, and never could understand why Battersea was seen as some sort of icon. His favourite was Fulham, and not just because he met my mother there.
What beats me is how you know about all these things taking place and nobody else ever does.
Couldn't agree more, keeping the "living spirit" alive is an important part of any remodel. This ain't it, actually might prefer knocking it down to this. Never thought I'd say that, but this is ghastly.
I'll just put this here...

Works to the south west chimney
will commence in January/February 2014
and be fully rebuilt by Spring 2015.
Works to the remaining chimneys will
commence in Autumn 2014 and be
fully reconstructed by Spring 2016.


http://www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Public-Consultation-Boards-Phase-2-Nov-2013.pdf










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