Battersea Power Station sparked back to life yesterday. [32 photos]
Since being decommissioned in 1983 the decaying building has been the subject of numerous wild and wacky regeneration schemes. It took a Malaysian consortium to finally find a viable proposal - filling the interior with shops and offices, surrounding the shell with flats and conjuring up a tube station to bring punters flocking. It's by no means an ideal solution but it has secured the future of the building, which was never a given, plus you can now buy handbags, gin and macaroons inside. It's all a bit Westfield, but Grade II* listed and with all the cheaper shops removed.
The opening ceremony was at 10am in Malaysia Square, which is the name of the (non-square) amphitheatre at the tube end of the building. All the wannabe shoppers were funnelled into Electric Boulevard, a wiggly canyon between Zara and hundreds of pricey flats, while those of us who wanted a better view stood up top by the railings. The Battersea Power StationCommunity Choir sang something suitably Malaysian, accompanied by drums, and former power station employee Rita Kelly battled her deafness to recount how she once almost ate her sandwiches on the roof.
The Mayor and Battersea's local MP demonstrated their oratory skills, bigging up South London, praising everyone who'd worked on the project and thanking "our friends from Malaysia". Then Rita pulled a lever which triggered a countdown which fired pyrotechnics and thousands of streamers into the sky. While the first shoppers dived for the doors, the streamers flapped down onto the roadway and entangled the rest of us in a swirling multi-coloured web, a bit like being attacked by an angry maypole. And when I'd finally extricated my feet, I went inside.
Which shops do you put immediately inside the main entrance? The jewellers and the luxury watch merchants, obviously, plus a Starbucks and a Pret for those who need a cup in their hand while they browse. From here you have to turn left or turn right, because although the Boiler House is vast most of it has been taken up by leisure facilities and office space, hence most of the retail offering is in the Turbine Halls to either side. Don't bother looking for a map, there are only directional arrows, the interior of the building being a three dimensional mystery tour until you finally get your bearings.
Turbine Hall A is the larger and brighter of the two. It's still recognisable from the shell it used to be because all the architects have really done is add two levels of raised walkways, plus walls to hide the shops behind. These include global brands like Lacoste, Ray-Ban and Reiss, because BPS isn't a Wilko and WHSmiths kind of place. The macaroons I promised are sold in a dozen bijou flavours from a green van parked sideways near some picnic tables. Not all the units are yet occupied, a number still have Coming Soon on their hoardings, but if your wardrobe needs a refresh you should find sufficient options.
Somewhere up on the left is Control Room A, a dazzling space still lined with the original knobs and dials, but that's the sole preserve of private bookings so all you can do is squint through the upper windows. Also off-limits at present, but not for long, is the entrance to chimney-based attraction Lift 109. For somewhere between £16 and £23 (day of week depending) you'll be able to wait for your slot on a mezzanine brimming with electrical gizmos before ascending to a circular viewpoint 109 metres up. On the way out expect to be greeted by a desk offering 'Your Power Pose', plus a gift shop selling Lift 109 t-shirts, Lift 109 chocolate bars, Lift 109 fudge, Lift 109 bricks and Lift 109 gin. All commercial opportunity is here.
Round the back of the building is the other end of the Boiler House, where there's a Searcys and a Superdry and a bookshop with limited upmarket stock. Next year the first floor will house a giant food hall but for now you can only get into the toilets - indeed there are plenty of these all over the building which is one advantage of a privately funded shopping mall over your local high street. While you're here you can pop out to the riverside and enjoy the parklet, jetty and reflective pool that have been open since 2017, plus a line of restaurants that's suddenly lost its exclusivity overnight. During this opening festival I also found a row of huts and vans selling scotch eggs for £6 and cheezy fries for 5.5, but you may not be so lucky.
Turbine Hall B glows red, a conscious lighting decision which confirms you must be in 'the other half'. Again the shell is recognisable to those of us who previouslygot inside the building, particularly the gently curved ceiling, but otherwise it's all mezzanines, escalators and rows of shops. Levi's, Calvin Klein and Abercrombie and Fitch are amongst the brandfloggers, but also Paperchase in case you have less than a fiver and need a card. The longest escalators head up to a cinema hidden in the centre of the building, best not visited by those with serious vertigo, indeed there are a few walkways like that all over.
Halfway down the hall is the other control room, that's Control Room B, which you can get into if you queue because it's been turned into a cocktail bar. Only one of its cocktails costs £52, but that's because it's designed to be slurped by three or four 'engineers'. If that's not your thing look out for the museum-style room recounting the history of the power station, a well-researched display including scale models of failed projects. Or just enjoy a good walk around the building admiring all the restored fabric, the gantry cranes, the architectural detail, the lot. But for the majority of visitors I expect Battersea Power Station will be somewhere they can come to spend their time spending money, which is the price this magnificent building has paid for its survival.
