Cathedral of power: the famous four chimneys of Battersea Power Station
(Picture: Press handout)For nearly four decades, six million bricks spent every night shrouded in darkness; it was an inappropriate existence for a building once dubbed the Cathedral of Power. A corner has been turned. Now, with great handfuls of squandered efforts weaved into its story, Battersea Power Station is finally alight again: today marks the official reopening of London’s most famous four chimneys. At a cost of £5 billion, the rusting beams have been restored and the squatting pigeons moved on.
But the crackling, humming generators are also gone and there are no more men pulling levers and shooting currents around the city. The workhorse has been replaced by a playground: 1,600 luxury flats (with a further 2,400 planned), 110 shops, great handfuls of restaurants and bars, all alongside a six-storey pile of offices (soon to house Apple headquarters) and more besides.
