Tuesday 21st March: Battersea Power Station

 In a bid to keep up with new developments in public space in  London, on Tuesday 21st March we have decided to go and see London's newest public interior - and exterior -  space, Battersea Power Station in its new incarnation as a superior indoor shopping centre on several levels.  Not fully occupied yet so rather desolate in its upper levels.

The inside is rather like a smart Swiss airterminal, complete with shops selling swiss watches and other seriously upmarket fashion and jewellery of the sort seen at Geneva airport, for example.  It is still possible to see parts of the old powerstation construction in long views, and one of the control rooms has been turned into a cocktail bar.   The shopping centre is rather bleak, and there are very few chairs in the main galleries.  There are various cafes and restaurants, but mostly they do not have a decent view of anything though their windows.  There are two pianos for the musical public to use, one of which has a nearby coffee/cake kiosk (in fact a smartly painted old French van), and chairs for the customers.  The pianos are popular, so an opportunity to sketch a pianist.   Outside, if the weather is kind, there are other sketching possibilities.   Between the Power Station and the tube station there is a tastefully landscaped winding pathway, an extraordinary quasi-amphitheatre, and the mass of apartments are quite quirky and would be a challenge to anyone's perspective capabilities.   This lot would compose into interesting urban sketches. There are also views of the river.  There are a lot of people wandering around, so a good opportunity for figure drawing.

As the seating is virtually non-existent, artists MUST bring their sketching stools.   If you want to sketch outside, an umbrella would be good, we are not sure if there are any shelters and there are no views of the outside from the shopping centre,  As for lunch, the cafes get crowded (most of London  seems to be visiting at present), but there is a Pret, where we can get sandwiches, and then eat them together in our own encampment in one of the vast corridors.   

The Pret does not take cash (nowhere to store cash, we have been told), we do not know if any other cafes take cash, so please bring your plastic or your own lunch if you have forsworn plastic.   Lavatories no problem.

 A map of the exterior is here         We will meet at 11 o'clock at the South Entrance, which is right by the sunken ampitheatre (Malaysia Square).

The tube station Battersea Power Station is on a new arm of the Northern Line.   The Power Station is a few moments' walk round the back of the new tube stop, signed.   Further details of the development here

Sue's mobile number for the day is: 07975 864 142.   Looking forward to seeing many of you on the 21st.   Meanwhile, a few images prepared earlier.