Battersea

Battersea Power Station

Battersea, area on the south bank of the River Thames in the London borough of Wandsworth. It is known for its riverside park and its (now defunct) power station; in the mid-18th century it was the production site of Battersea enamelware.

The area was settled in the Iron Age, as evidenced by excavated objects such as the Battersea Shield (placed on display at the British Museum, Camden). The name Battersea was first recorded in 693 ce; in the 11th century it was written as Badrices ege, and it was in Domesday Book (1086) as Patricesy. Historic landmarks include the Dutch-gabled Raven public house (17th century) and the Old Battersea House (late 17th century), a two-story brick mansion. The parish church of St. Mary (originally 11th century) was rebuilt in the 18th century, a period in which the Vicarage and Devonshire House also were constructed.

The borough of Kensington and Chelsea is joined to Battersea by road and rail bridges over the Thames. The Albert Bridge (1873), which is illuminated every evening, is an iron cantilever and suspension bridge of fanciful design. To its western side is the Battersea Bridge (1890); the current structure replaces a wooden bridge (late 18th century) that was the subject of a nocturne by the American-born artist James McNeill Whistler.

In a zone that was previously known for its unruly carnivals lies Battersea Park, which was opened in 1853 on the Thames riverfront. The park incorporated an amusement park in time for the Festival of Britain (1951), but the rides were dismantled in the mid-1970s. Many of the park’s salient features date from the late 19th century. It contains a children’s zoo, a boating lake, a deer park, athletic grounds and courts, and the Japanese Buddhist Peace Pagoda, which was opened in 1985. Founded in 1860 and relocated to its present site in 1871, the Dogs’ Home Battersea is a royally sponsored shelter for stray and unwanted dogs and cats. The riverfront to the east of the park is dominated by the now-empty shell of the Battersea Power Station. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and opened in 1933, the station is a well-known London landmark that operated for half a century. Various plans were later proposed for its redevelopment.