Battersea

Well, Battersea is just a city quarter of London at the river Thames, but it has two important highlights that first time London visitors might not drop by. The first is the Battersea Park, a vast garden opened in 1858. It is great for a walk, for doing some sports like jogging, or playing tennis. But it also has a large lake on which you can ride a paddleboat, the Peace Pagoda and good bars to sit outside and enjoy nice weather (if there is some).

Very iconic and well visible from the Thames is the former Battersea Power Station, a coal-fired power station in operation between 1933 and 1983. It is one of the biggest buildings made of bricks and has four towers; one of them is now used as a viewing platform on 109 meters height (but you need to get one of the limited tickets upfront). Today the former power station is a vast shopping mall that preserved the industrial allure of former days. The food court on 1st floor (with its app-based ordering system) is great and if you get the chance stop by at the control room bar.

In front of the building you’ll find different seating options making it really a good place for a break with good views on the river and Vauxhall bridge. Battersea Power Station appears in many movies, computer games and on music albums. Most famous is Animals by Pink Floyd on which a pig is hovering between two of the towers. Around the power station a fancy new residential zone has been created but the rent here most be humongous. Since 2021 Battersea is the final stop of the Northern Line subway and therefore it is really easy to reach it.

Battersea Park
Battersea Power Station
London
England
United Kingdom