Wednesday 25 January 2023

Pigs preparing for take off


I'm excited, I don't mind telling you. Tomorrow I shall be jumping on the 9:50 to London St. Pancreas to spend some long overdue time in the capital. At 1pm, all being well, I should be
109 metres above the ground standing atop one of Battersea Power Station's iconic chimneys. BPS had been stood empty for many, many years yet has always been a pivotal part of London's ever changing landscape. It's been under construction, on and off, for the best part of 40 years, but is now, seemingly, the latest shiny new slab of real estate with a postcode to die for. And, no, I'm not expecting to see turbines in the grandeur of its once Art Deco Turbine Hall. I'm not quite sure what I will find in the space now occupying same - I shall have to report back. There will be pictures; heaps of pictures. 

10 comments:

  1. Enjoy your day - looking forward to seeing those pictures. The word iconic is used far too much nowadays but yes, those chimneys are.

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    1. A splendid time was had by all. I'll post the pictures soon.
      Yes, it's iconic . And also an upside down snooker table.

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  2. Have fun John. I look forward to reading all about it.

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    1. Fun was had! I'll try and condense the sixty odd photos I took on Thursday into half a dozen or so and get a few thoughts down on paper.

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  3. Enjoy, I'm itching to get down to see Battersea Power Station.

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    1. Don't hang about! It really is worth going out of your way to see.

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  4. Those photos that show how derelict it was are astounding. It's as though just the chimneys survived. Shame the exhibition didn't give a nod to the collieries that fed the 24/7 operation.
    Alan D

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    1. They certainly pulled it back from the brink. Keeping the lights on in London wasn't always easy; there were a number of other power stations along the Thames doing their bit too. (I'll link a couple of news reels from back in the day when I get five minutes.)

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  5. Wow - and writing this retrospectively -that must have been really something. John 'Fred Dibnah' Medd!

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    1. Fred didn't have the luxury of a state of the art glass encased panoramic 360 deg. express elevator when he was plying his trade!

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