Lift 109
Londoners are excited about the recent redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station because it’s a giant, gorgeous landmark of industrial Art Deco on a prime riverfront lot that’s been abandoned for most of their lifetimes. But it’s turned out to be a big indoor mall surrounded by luxury flats, with the northwest chimney converted into an observation tower, Lift 109, which opened in 2022.
After riding a standard elevator partway and then, curiously, being forced to take some stairs, you enter a glass elevator that rises to 109m (358 ft.) until it peeks out the top of the tower. You get to look out for a few minutes before descending again and exiting through the gift shop. It’s a fun gimmick, but it’s no substitute for the observation decks closer to the action—even Big Ben is a distant 2.4km (1 1/2 miles) away.
Architecture nuts will find much to groove over in the Power Station, which has an inviting Thames-facing park, but you don’t need a ticket for those.
Londoners are excited about the recent redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station because it’s a giant, gorgeous landmark of industrial Art Deco on a prime riverfront lot that’s been abandoned for most of their lifetimes. But it’s turned out to be a big indoor mall surrounded by luxury flats, with the northwest chimney converted into an observation tower, Lift 109, which opened in 2022.
After riding a standard elevator partway and then, curiously, being forced to take some stairs, you enter a glass elevator that rises to 109m (358 ft.) until it peeks out the top of the tower. You get to look out for a few minutes before descending again and exiting through the gift shop. It’s a fun gimmick, but it’s no substitute for the observation decks closer to the action—even Big Ben is a distant 2.4km (1 1/2 miles) away.
Architecture nuts will find much to groove over in the Power Station, which has an inviting Thames-facing park, but you don’t need a ticket for those.
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