Battersea & Vauxhall

Battersea Power Station's redevelopment has transformed this stretch of South London — the iconic four-chimney building is now shops, restaurants and apartments, with Battersea Park alongside and Vauxhall's nightlife scene nearby.

Battersea Power Station

The decommissioned power station reopened in 2022 after a major redevelopment — inside are shops, restaurants, a cinema and a chimney lift experience (Lift 109) offering views from the top of one of the original chimneys.

Battersea Park

200 acres along the Thames, with a boating lake, the Peace Pagoda, and one of London's best riverside walks. Free to enter.

Getting There

Battersea Power Station station (Northern line extension) puts you directly at the site.

Tips

• Lift 109 offers a unique view but is ticketed separately — book ahead in summer.
• Battersea Park's Peace Pagoda is a quiet, free spot often missed by visitors.

Vauxhall's Nightlife

Vauxhall, just north of Battersea Park, is one of London's main LGBTQ+ nightlife districts — clubs and bars under the railway arches stay open significantly later than most of central London. The area feels quiet by day and transforms after dark, particularly on weekends.

The MI6 Building

The distinctive ziggurat-shaped building on the south bank of the Thames near Vauxhall is the real headquarters of MI6 — not open to the public, but instantly recognisable to anyone who's seen it in a James Bond film, and worth a glance from across the river.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home

One of the world's most famous animal rescue centres, founded in 1860, sits within the neighbourhood — not a typical tourist stop, but a point of local pride and occasionally open for visits by arrangement.

Tips

• Vauxhall's nightlife district is genuinely one of London's most distinctive after-dark scenes.
• The MI6 building is best viewed from the north bank across the river, not up close.