by Kay Lockett
Wandsworth residents have chosen local icon Battersea Power Station to represent
the borough on a set of 2012 Olympic Games pin badges.
All 33 London boroughs have held similar votes to decide the landmark that best represents their area. The winning landmarks will be re-created in a metal pin form alongside the London 2012 logo. The final designs will be unveiled early next year by the London 2012 organising committee. The pin set will showcase what Londoners want the world to remember about their borough. Battersea Power Station was up against, Albert Bridge, Wandsworth Town Hall and the Buddhist Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park.
The ‘Landmark London’ initiative has been arranged by the 2012 Olympic organising committee, in partnership with London councils, as part of the preparations for the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games. Landmarks up for the vote ranged from visitor attractions, theatres and museums to windmills, clock towers and bridges. Each landmark put forward has a special resonance with the area it is located in.
To see the complete list of winning landmarks visit www.london2012.com
People are welcome to share any stories or reasons for choosing a particular landmark on the London 2012 blog.
This is a great chance to tell the rest of the world what makes Wandsworth borough great. The Games will be a truly historic event for London and Wandsworth potentially has an important part to play. These badges will help local people to celebrate and remember their Olympic experience. The celebratory badges are expected to go on sale early next year.
Battersea Power Station History
The proposal to site a large power station on the south bank of the River Thames at Battersea in 1927 caused a storm of protest that raged for years. Questions were raised in Parliament about pollution which might harm the paintings in the nearby Tate Gallery and the parks and "noble buildings of London". Now Battersea Power Station is one of the best loved landmarks after serving London with electricity for 50 years.
Battersea Power Station is a now unused coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, near Battersea. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the 1930’s, with Battersea B Power Station to its east in the 1950’s. The two stations were built to an identical design, providing the well-known four chimney layout. The station ceased generating electricity in 1983, but over the past 50 years it has become one of the best known landmarks in London and is Grade II listed. The station's notoriety owes to numerous cultural appearances, which include a shot in The Beatles' 1965 movie Help! and being used in the cover art of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals.
Since closure the site has remained largely unused, with numerous failed redevelopment plans from successive site owners. The station is the largest brick building in Europe and is notable for its original, lavish Art Deco interior fittings and décor. However, the building's condition has been described as "very bad" by English Heritage, who include the power station on its Buildings at Risk Register. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was commissioned to design the building. His other buildings include Liverpool Cathedral, Bankside Power Station, Waterloo Bridge and the classic red telephone box.
The building is in fact a steel girder frame and Sir Giles designed the exterior brick cladding and the tower-like bases of the four chimneys. Throughout the whole of its life Battersea has been a symbol of the electricity industry to the media and the general public alike.
