Battersea Power Station

Reviving a brick-built giant

Introduction

One of London’s most recognisable industrial landmarks, Battersea Power Station has undergone a monumental transformation — from a derelict shell to a thriving, mixed-use destination. Purcell played a key role in this journey, delivering expert heritage advice and conservation oversight across the site and throughout the project.

Since decommissioning in 1982, the Grade II*-listed structure has become a powerful symbol of Art Deco design: from its towering chimneys to the elegantly composed stepped brickwork at its base, Battersea Power Station is a world-recognised design masterpiece and forms an iconic image on London’s skyline.

Context and conservation

Designed in the 1930s by renowned British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the power station is celebrated for its monumental brick architecture and Art Deco interiors. The building comprises of over seven million handmade bricks: all of which needed conserving, repairing, or replacing.

During restoration, our team worked closely with specialists to catalogue and assess every section of brickwork. Where decay was beyond repair, bricks were carefully removed and replaced with new units produced by the original supplier, Northcot Brick, ensuring exact colour, texture, and dimension matches.

Our team employed a variety of cleaning techniques to reverse the ‘patina of neglect’ present from thirty years of dereliction whilst maintaining the desired ‘patina of age and industry.’ Via rigorous paint and concrete analysis, we sensitively rebuilt the structure’s iconic chimneys.

Battersea's bricks

7.5m

bricks conserved, repaired, or replaced

1.75m

new bricks made to match the original

Collaboration and community

The immense project took nearly 10 years from beginning to end, with over 20 individual team members working on the project at one point or another. Working alongside lead architect Wilkinson Eyre, our architects surveyed and scheduled repairs to the seven million bricks, over the course of four years on site, and in all weathers.

Looking beyond the initial project, we helped to envision the newly developed ‘Town Centre’ beside the new station, with historic features such as rail tracks and historic machinery included in the design. These historic objects help tell the power station’s story.