History
Construction began in 1929. The first half, Battersea A, started generating in 1933 and was completed in 1935. The second half, Battersea B, began generating in 1944, and all four chimneys were in place by 1955. This is when the building took on the upturned-table silhouette it is known for.
At its peak, the station supplied around a fifth of London's electricity, including to the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. Battersea A closed in 1975 and Battersea B in 1983.
The building was Grade II listed in 1980 and upgraded to Grade II* in 2007. Listing prevented demolition but not decay: the station spent decades roofless and empty as one redevelopment scheme after another failed. The current owners bought the 42-acre site in 2012 and work began in 2013.
The chimneys are not the original chimneys. The concrete in the originals had degraded beyond repair, so all four were dismantled and rebuilt to the original design between 2014 and 2017. What you see today are faithful reconstructions, not the 1930s and 1950s structures.
Architecture
The building's exterior was the work of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, also responsible for Bankside Power Station, which now houses Tate Modern. He also designed the iconic red telephone box. Scott didn't design the machinery; he designed the skin and the silhouette: the dark brickwork, the vertical fluting, and a decorative treatment that was extraordinary for an industrial building of its time.
Two interiors survive in particular. Turbine Hall A's 1930s art deco detailing and Turbine Hall B's plainer, more modernist 1950s treatment are both still visible, and the difference between them is the clearest way to read the building's two eras.
Pink Floyd and Animals
The building is known worldwide from the cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals, for which a large inflatable pig named Algie was tethered between the chimneys.
On the first day of the shoot, a marksman was hired in case the balloon broke loose, and the pig refused to move. On the second day, 3 December 1976, the marksman wasn't there, the cable snapped, and the pig drifted into Heathrow's flight paths. Flights were grounded, and it eventually came down in a field in Kent. The third day produced a usable shot of the pig, but the weather was too sunny for the mood the designers wanted. The final cover combines the sky from day one with the pig from day three.
The Chimney Lift
The Chimney Lift, formerly known as Lift 109, carries visitors up inside the north-west chimney to 109 metres in a fully glazed lift, with a 360-degree view over the Thames, Westminster and the City.
The experience starts on Level 1 of Turbine Hall A with an exhibition on the building's history, and takes about 45 minutes in total. Tickets are timed, and prices vary by date. The tickets are roughly £17 for adults and £12 for children aged 3–15, with under-2s free. There are no concession tickets, but a carer goes free with a paying visitor.
There is no minimum age or height restriction, though under-16s must be accompanied. The standard route includes 39 spiral steps; a step-free route exists but must be booked in advance.
Shops and restaurants
The power station and its immediate surroundings hold over 150 shops, restaurants, bars and leisure venues.
The retail mix runs from international chains to small independents. Apple, Zara, Uniqlo, Mango, Lacoste, Mulberry, Waterstones and the LEGO Store are all here. On the smaller side, Curated Makers carries work from over 40 independent makers, Battersea Bookshop is an independent bookshop, and the Battersea General Store sells cheese, wine and artisan produce.
The restaurants are the real draw. Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen & Bar is in the building, along with Dishoom, whose menu is built on the Bombay café tradition; Tasha's from South Africa, the Spanish Solis and the Malaysian Roti King. Le Bab serves gourmet kebabs cooked by chefs with fine-dining backgrounds. The original Le Bab opened in Soho in 2016. Arcade Food Hall brings together 13 food stalls and three standalone restaurants under JKS, the group behind Gymkhana. Bounce combines a restaurant with ping pong tables.
Cinema and control rooms
The Cinema in the Power Station is on Level 3 of Turbine Hall B. It has two screens: the larger is a Dolby Cinema with 213 seats and four private boxes, and is run by the independent Olympic Studios.
Control Room B is a cocktail bar built into the station's 1950s control room, with the original dials, switches and control desks still in place. It's open to the public and takes walk-ins, though booking is sensible at weekends.
Control Room A, the 1930s art-deco control room, has been restored but is not open to the public as it operates as a private events and wedding venue.
Circus West Village
Circus West Village sits east of the power station and was the first phase of the development to open. In and around the railway arches you'll find Gordon Ramsay's Street Pizza, known for its bottomless offer, the Spanish Brindisa, the Mexican El Pastor, Cinnamon Kitchen, Megan's, Wright Brothers and Battersea Brewery, the local brewery.
It's also home to The Cinema in the Arches, a three-screen cinema in the arches (formerly Archlight Cinema), and the Arches Lane Theatre, a roughly 100-seat theatre known until 2025 as the Turbine Theatre.
art'otel
art'otel London Battersea Power Station opened in February 2023 within the development. Its 164 rooms and public spaces were designed by the Spanish artist and designer Jaime Hayon, combining strong colour, sculptural furniture and a rotating contemporary art collection. The upper floors have a rooftop pool and bar, and the hotel's restaurant JOIA is run by the Michelin-starred Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa.
Winter at Battersea
From early November to early January the Glide ice rink and a Christmas market operate in front of the power station. Earlier in the year, the free Battersea Light Festival installs light artworks across the site.
Opening times and practical information
Shops are open Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00 and Sunday 12:00–18:00. Restaurants, bars and the cinema keep their own hours, and the Chimney Lift's last ascent is at 20:00.
There are two car parks: Circus Road West (SW11 8EZ) and Pump House Lane (SW11 8BJ), both with a 2.2 m height limit. Parking is around £6 for up to two hours and £30 for 24 hours. There are 39 EV charging bays, and motorcycle parking is free. Forty-five Blue Badge spaces are available and cannot be pre-booked.
