Battersea Power Station announced today that Inception Group, London’s most experiential bar company, and the brains behind Mr Fogg’s and Cahoots, will be opening a new exciting bar concept in the Power Station’s historic Control Room B on 14th October, when the Grade II* listed officially opens its doors to the public.
The immersive experience will be completely unique to Battersea Power Station and will take inspiration from the Grade II* listed building’s iconic architecture and history. The establishment will feature mid-century furniture and glassware, and there will also be a beautiful centrepiece bar, which is a turbine-inspired radial sculpture – paying homage to the character and form of Battersea Power Station’s electric history.
At its peak, Battersea Power Station produced a fifth of London’s electricity, supplying power to some of London’s most recognisable landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. Working in tandem with Control Room A, Control Room B managed the distribution of power generated by the Power Station’s turbines.
Opening out onto Turbine Hall B, Control Room B was built after the Second World War and is more pared back and brutalist in design. With faience tiling throughout, the control room retains its original human scale stainless-steel control panels arranged in an arc. The original control room fittings, desks and switchgear complex are defining features of the space and have been fully restored as part of the wider regeneration of Battersea Power Station.
Once open, the new Control Room B bar will bring the history of the Power Station to the present day. This one-of-a-kind setting will make for a truly unrivalled bar concept, and patrons will have the chance to get up close and personal with the Control Room’s original dials and controls that have been restored to their former glory. Offering an all-day experience, Control Room B will open at 10am serving coffee, tea and pastries. Staff donning utilitarian boiler suits in a nod to the Power Station’s employees back in the 1950s, will always be ready to shake up and serve a selection of innovative cocktails. Each drink will be influenced by the Power Station and the 1950s Control Room through vessels and ingredients used. With a setting so unique it really will be the ultimate drinking destination for any occasion.
Sam Cotton, Head of Leasing at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “Inception Group’s ever-evolving immersive experience offering made them the perfect fit for a unique venue like Control Room B. In just a few weeks’ time, members of the public will be able to get up close to the Control Room’s original dials and controls, whilst sipping on a coffee or cocktail, and soaking up the history of the Grade II* listed Power Station. It’s going to be a very special moment and one I’m very much looking forward to.”
Charlie Gilkes, co-founder at Inception Group, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be opening a bar within the most iconic part of one of London’s most important landmarks. Having lived in Battersea my whole life, it’s amazing to be playing a part in the most exciting redevelopment project for many years and to be bringing this space back to life.”
Opening to the public on 14th October, Battersea Power Station will be one of the most exciting retail and leisure destinations in London, with major international brands such as Hugo Boss, Theory, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Aesop, Space NK, Ace + Tate, lululemon, Mulberry, Jo Malone London, Uniqlo, Mango and a new neighbourhood bookstore, Battersea Bookshop, from specialist bookseller Stanfords, setting up shop inside the iconic building.
There will be over 100 shops, bars and restaurants, a 24,000 sq ft Arcade Food Hall from JKS Restaurants, office space and a unique events and leisure offering, including the chimney lift experience. The Power Station is also home to 254 apartments with residents moving in from last Spring and a new six-acre riverfront park which is already open to the public.
Electric Boulevard, a new pedestrianised high street for the local area, will also open from 14th October 2022. Running from the south of the Power Station, between the striking Gehry Partners designed Prospect Place and Foster + Partners’ Battersea Roof Gardens, Electric Boulevard will offer a mix of bars and restaurants, office space, shops, a park, community centre and an exciting new 164 room hotel from art’otel®, the brand’s first hotel to open in London. Retailers already announced to be opening on Electric Boulevard include high street favourite, ZARA, a new-concept M&S Foodhall and a 28,000 sq. ft club from London fitness brand, Third Space, opening in 2023.
Circus West Village, the first completed chapter in the regeneration of Battersea Power Station, is already home to over 1,800 residents and more than 20 bars, restaurants, cafe?s, fitness and leisure offerings.