A decade-long revamp of Battersea Power Station has finally finished (Picture: PA/AP)
Battersea Power Station has finally reopened after an eight-year renovation.
The decades-old power station was once hailed as the ‘flaming alter of the modern temple of power’ by the 1933 press when it first opened.
But the building has been decrepit and empty since 1983, falling into near ruin with its Grade II listing being all that shielded it from demolition.
On Friday, though, the doors of Battersea Power Station swung open once more as it reopened as a shopping and leisure complex.
The landmark features cinemas, bars, restaurants, a theatre and a glass lift soaring up the north-west chimney to provide a 109m-high viewing experience of the River Thames.
Turbine halls that span three levels are now lined with more than 100 retail units and eateries.
Fireworks were set off to announce to south London that Battersea Power Station is back (Picture: PA)
The halls of Battersea, which once supplied a chunk of London’s power, have become a shopping centre (Picture: AP)
The £400 million plan by a Malaysian consortium was a ‘Herculean’ task, said Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPDC) boss Simon Murphy.
Much of the site was dismantled and painstakingly recreated with 1.75 million red bricks and enough steel to build three Eiffel Towers.
Murphy told reporters: ‘[It is] one of the most challenging engineering and architectural feats in London’s history.
‘Throughout the restoration process, we have tried to reuse as much of the existing fabric within the power station as possible.’
Mayor Sadiq Khan added: ‘As a lifelong south Londoner, I am particularly delighted to see the iconic Battersea Power Station opening its doors for the first time in 40 years.’
Visitors have already lined up to get their first look at the new Battersea as the launch party continues until Sunday.
The former control room has now become a bar (Picture: PA)
Countless people queued to get a first glance (Picture: AP)
Among them was New York photographer Chris Mead, 72, who told the Evening Standard: ‘I am originally from Kent and this historic building was part of my growing up.
‘I’ve lived in the US for 40 years and I had to be here for this. It’s just such an interesting building, rich in history.’
The new build also features 800 residential homes of carrying sizes attached only a few feet from pop-up food trucks, a heritage trail and an evening light show.
Battersea, a hodgepodge of Art Deco and brutalist styles, was built Giles Gilbert Scott.
He was the designer behind red telephone boxes and the power station that later became the Tate Modern.
Battersea is Europe’s largest brick building and once supplied a fifth of London’s electricity.
Dozens of developers after its closure flew in with grandiose visions of a revamped Battersea, but many ran out of cash before fulfilling their plans.
People who eyed up the building included Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michael Jackson.
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‘It’s just such an interesting building, rich in history.’