Battersea Power Station – From Industry to Leisure
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-63234124.amp My first lecture of my Global Cultures MA discussed the pattern of the industrial sites of the past becoming sites of leisure in the contemporary age. These sites are most typically used for educational purposes, as they offer their visitors an insight into working-class history and the most important industries of the past. Yet in last week’s news, we saw the re-opening of Battersea Power Station. Located on the south bank of the Thames, the coal-fired power station which once produced a fifth of all London’s power has now re-opened on 14 th October as a giant shopping centre. Boasting brands such as Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Aesop, shoppers can access a plethora of high-end brands and other dining and leisure opportunities. The ten-year process of the transformation of an abandoned power station into a super-shopping centre indicates that the innovations taking place within the capital and na...