A Residential Power House
Last week we admitted that the opening of two new London underground stations had triggered a long overdue visit to the American Embassy and the Battersea Power Station redevelopment. Neither of the stations featured in the ‘Big House on the Prairie’ story but if you thought you had escaped a nerdy railway blog, we are afraid that you are about to be disappointed. There has been so much fuss and commotion in the press about the ‘Battersea Power Station Station’ that we thought we would take a look on our way to the eponymous new development.
To be honest, one of us was slightly disappointed. As far as we could see, there is not a single name board where the word ‘station’ is actually repeated. From all the media to-do, ‘one of us’ had assumed that this would be the case. On enquiry, ‘one of us’ has been reliably informed that roundel name boards do not normally include the word ‘station’. Nine Elms station roundels just say ‘Nine Elms’. And here is a picture of perfectly legitimate Battersea Power Station Roundel.
But the underground techies will tell you that the names on station portals, for example, do include the word ‘station’. See below for the Nine Elms example. But - and this is the bit that you might just want to stay awake for - close examination of BPS station reveals the complete lack of station portal signs. All we could find on the outside of the building were roundels, and they just said, ‘Underground’. Where are we? Moscow? Colliers Wood? No, there’s a socking great power station looming in the background; it must be Battersea. What a fudge. Embarrassed by having a station sign which says Battersea Power Station Station? Well, let’s just leave it off altogether. One of us is not amused.
Thankfully, a lot of trouble has been taken with the interior of the station (see images below), although one wonders how long it will last in its shiny, new, loved up, state.
And the exterior sets a new trend in underground stations in architecture as well as anonymity. Capped in un-burnished gold, the nameless station is set in a streetscape of grey and silver. Let’s hope it remains memorable once the helpful hoardings come down, or no one will ever find it.
As you emerge from Alexandre da Cunha’s dawn and dusk underground, spare a glance for some of Battersea’s pre-regeneration remnants, tucked between the hoardings and portacabins. Battersea Park Road (aka the A3205) is as unprepossessing as ever, and I wouldn’t want to be sitting on the road side balconies of some of the pre-existing flats, but the Duchess Belle Public House on the corner of Savona Road looks like a welcome - and well used - survivor.
Leave the main road and turn left into Pump House Lane. However cynical you are about the Battersea Power Station development, the wow factor slaps you straight in the face. The clutter falls away unnoticed and, as you walk up between equally bold hoardings, your gaze is held by the eye catcher sculpture at the top of the access ramp (image below).
Now we can understand, if not forgive, the sacrifice of the view of this fabuous building from the London to Brighton railway line which runs to the west of the development. Who cares about shoe-horning modern, residential highrise between the power station and the railway, when you can attract your potential buyers as they arrive at a smart new underground station or, terrible thought, by car.
Reality kicks in though, as Pump House Lane leads you into Circus Road East and around the southern end of the Power Station monolith. Modern high rise fills out the regeneration plot to the south west and west of the power station and light fades as you enter the canyon which is Circus Road West.
There are many details which attempt to make the canyon attractive at a human scale, but there is no denying that it is shady and that lower level apartments on both sides will also share the limited sunlight.
We enjoyed the current retail offer – a bike shop of course, the lettings office, natch and, best of all, the Battersea General Store. What a delight of chocolate, champagne, macarons and harissa mayonnaise. To do it justice, the store also stocked a well-known brand of salad cream and tomato ketchup. We checked the prices against shops in less prestigious locations and suggest Battersea feels it can command a mark up of at least a 45%. We were also surprised to see considerable merchandise aimed at children. Is this really a child-friendly development?
Street details did their best to lift the mood:
But the real delight is completing the journey through the canyon, and falling out onto the riverside. This area suggests a much more inclusive sense of fun - especially if you bring your own sandwiches.
Between the power station and the Thames lies an open space of quite unusual variety. Paving, water, seating, planting, grassland, quirky art work, industrial archaeology, picnic benches, fresh air, views and, of course the mighty river itself, complete with constantly moving water traffic, and the Battersea Pier as a water bus stop.
At the moment, there is plenty of space for all. The renovation and remodelling of the former coal jetties, where boats once delivered vast quantities of solid fuel to the power station, had only just been completed when we visited and this has added significant additional space and an abundance of picnic benches. It will be interesting, however, to see how this ‘play ground’ handles a considerably higher footfall (or ‘bumfall’ on those deckchairs) on a summer Saturday afternoon, when the residential blocks are complete. Maintenance will be crucial, of course, not just horticultural, but all the boring stuff such as litter picking, sweeping and cleaning, to keep it in the fresh and inviting condition which we enjoyed so much.
Want to live here?
Maybe not if you like to hide your dirty dishes and don’t want a view of an office block.