When you think of Battersea Power Station, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn't bricks. The thing that immediately stands out when looking at the iconic London landmark is the four identical white chimneys, making it look a bit like a giant upside-down cow.
However, the building, which has appeared in films and on the cover of albums, is fundamentally a brick building. Bricks form a large part of its impressive Art Deco construction and have played a significant part in the recent multi-billion-pound redevelopment of the site.
After many years of abandonment, it will soon have a new life, partly aided by new bricks.
Need inspiration?A brief history
Building began on the Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the Thames in 1929. The coal-fired power station is actually made up of two separately-built-but-identical units, A and B, resulting in the four iconic chimneys.
The original plans and architecture were completed by architectural firm Halliday and Agate but the exterior was the work of Giles Gilbert Scott, who is also famous for designing the famous red telephone box amongst other UK buildings.
Battersea A was completed in 1935 and B in 1941, although the fourth chimney wasn't actually completed until 1955. The chimneys themselves stand 101m from the ground, which includes the 51m-high wash towers they sit on.
In case you hadn't noticed, it's a big building. The main boiler house was so large you could fit St Paul's Cathedral inside it!
Interestingly this interior would go on to be used in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight as the inside of a burnt-out warehouse.
What about the bricks?
Approximately 6 million bricks were used in the construction of the original building. Different makes were used throughout, including Accrington engineering bricks, which were also used in the Empire State Building.
However, most of the building is clad in brown Blockley bricks from Telford, Shropshire.
Golden Brown Pressed bricks from a Gloucestershire-based company called Northwick Brick and Tiles were also used in the building.
Built in the height of the Art Deco movement, both the exterior and the interior have key features of this flamboyant and maximalist architectural style.
Approximately 6 million bricks were used in the construction of the original building
Powering London
Battersea Power Station would go on to provide a fifth of London's electricity during its active years.
But it played some other more unfortunate roles in its time. The smoke from the chimneys was used by both the RAF and the Luftwaffe as a navigation tool during the Second World War.
In the case of the former, great; the latter, not so much. It would alert the German bombers to where they were, allowing them to effectively bomb London. It did mean however that the power station went unscathed in the Blitz, due to its usefulness.
One interesting story happened on 20 April 1964, when electrical failures caused outages across London. This was particularly disruptive for the BBC who were planning to launch the new BBC Two that night. It was launched the next day instead.
Closure and disrepair
As with many other buildings of this era, Battersea Power Station would eventually outlive its usefulness.
Both the A and B stations were decommissioned between 1975 and 1978, and the whole station closed and ceased to generate electricity in 1983.
What saved this icon was its listing as a Grade II-listed building in 1980. This would be upgraded to a Grade-II* (There's no footnote, the * is part of the classification) listed status in 2007.
This is reserved for less than 6% of listed buildings and those with particular importance and architectural interest.
It would remain empty and unused until 2014, by which time it was in a state of near ruin.
But, like buildings we've mentioned already, such as The Royal Albert Dock and St Pancras Station, talks would soon be had about renovating it and repurposing it for the 21st Century.
Handmade heaven
If you ever needed proof that the demand for bricks is still high, look no further than renovation projects like this.
A huge part of the Battersea redevelopment involves replacing and renovating the existing brick structure.
Since the project began, millions of bricks (1.7 million to be precise) have been handmade in the same places as the original bricks.
The Northwick Brick company, now known as Northcot Brick, have made 1.3 million handmade bricks to restore parts of the power station built in the 30's and 40's.
The Gloucestershire-based, family-owned firm has access to the same Lower Jurassic and Middle Lias clay that was used for the original bricks.
Telford-based Blockley Bricks have also be used to restore the final parts of the building, dating from the 1950's. Obviously not as many of these bricks need restoring but they comprise a large part of the overall aesthetic.
All these bricks have been weathered and blended to fit in with the original construction which has seen a fair beating over the years. Both firms have gone a long way to accurately replicate the existing brick structure.
We're here for you
If you're inspired by the Art Deco splendour of Battersea but can't decide which bricks to use on your own project, our free Brick Selection service could be just what you need; if you want to use bricks that blend seamlessly with the rest of your home, our Brick Matching service could be right up your street; or if you'd prefer to browse bricks for yourself, we have more than 3,800 products to choose from in our Brick Library!
Our expert Brick Advisors are standing by to help you figure out how many bricks you need for your project, then source them and find you the best price - we'll even arrange delivery too!
