real time web analytics
Report - - Fulham Central Substation - The Forgotten Battersea? - Jan 2018 | Industrial Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Fulham Central Substation - The Forgotten Battersea? - Jan 2018

Hide this ad by donating or subscribing !

Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
Been sitting on this one for a bit with view to going back in the daylight but really, now the nights are drawing in, the time has passed this year so it can go loose. Its the latest in the long line of control room conquests. I first noticed it back in 2011 when i was looking around after finding those ones at Barking. It caught my eye as the roof has a distinct curved section and it just screamed control room.. Thing is back then i was really more looking at derelict examples and this building is still at least partially live. Live substations arnt really a good place to mess around so I didn't think much more about it until recently when i managed to get hold of an original opening brochure.. Bloody hell it looked a bit promising so i swung into action over Christmas and did a few recces etc. Not easy but there was a sneaky way without being seen on the cameras. I was fully prepared to run into alarms or be wandering through a totally live building at first but the more i looked at it and further i got the more it seemed that the main chunk of the place wasn't used at all. Dropping into a dark empty switch room was actually a bit of a relief.

I tentatively made my way through into the main event and well, gutted! it was absolute perfection apart from the one bit you really hope to be left in there. The panels themselves! Even some of the dials and gauges are still there but not the actual panels.. I still cant decide if its an epic find or a bit of a fail so you will have to decide for yourself. The quest continues i guess!

IMG_20180306_0001.jpg


IMG_20180306_0003.jpg

Dont need to write any history for this one..


IMG_20180306_0004.jpg

The switch gear back in the day


IMG_20180306_0008.jpg

Info on the main event


IMG_20180306_0006.jpg

The shoddy photo that peaked my interest..


IMG_20180306_0009.jpg

Not to mention the full floor plans and elevations. The part to the left of the loading bay has been redeveloped into a more modern substation now.



Img_4901 (2).jpg

That distinctive curved section on the roof was the give away. Its actually a floor above the room itself and is some kind of light well. The doors were all screwed to get inside tho..


IMG_4972 (2).JPG

The switch gear now all gone. There were a few interesting bits left like the turntables in the floor that made a massive crash when i stepped on it in the dark walking to switch the lights on!


IMG_4971 (2).JPG

This is pretty much the view in the brochure image


Img_4979mod.jpg

Heres the old main entrance and lobby. The door would have lead out into the old loading bay but now goes into the live section of the building. I didn't try it..


IMG_4981 (2).JPG

Behind the main door there is a door through into the cable basement. I forgot to take a wide shot but found this nice little sign for the neons that were once on the front of the building to 'showcase electricity' This part was semi live, some modern switch gear and cables and some redundant stuff


IMG_4948 (2).JPG

Above the main entrance lobby there is a small office and toilet.


IMG_4976 (2).JPG

With discarded key store


Img_4952 (2).jpg

I actually entered the control room from the back. Spotting all this stuff still in situe i was hyped..


Img_4902 (2) mod.jpg

Not so much once i had walked round to the front..


Img_4905 (2)mod.jpg

Still what an epic room! One of the best yet even with missing panels


IMG_4907 (2).JPG

The original desk was still in place and full of paperwork suggesting this room was still in use in the 1990s


Img_4935mod (2).jpg

The lighting setup was pretty crazy too, glass ceiling similar to Hams Hall


IMG_4936 (2).JPG

Remains of the panels close up


IMG_4943 (2).JPG

Quite a few gauges still to see..


View attachment 757192
 
Last edited:

The_Raw

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Bloody hell, they made a proper meal of those panels. Still, good to see some of the former grandeur with that curved ceiling
 

Exploring with Andy

Behind Closed Doors
Staff member
Moderator
Still nice even with the panels in the state they are in. Do you know if there are skylights above the glass ceiling to light it all up during the day?
 

Exploring with Andy

Behind Closed Doors
Staff member
Moderator
Could be nice with a little bit of light. We had been meaning to get round to checking this out ever since we noticed that curved bit in the roof too, and thought the same as you - that it couldn't be anything other than a control room!
 

WhoDaresWins

Let's do this
Regular User
Loving the glass on the ceiling. Shame the panels have been taken away but the charm of it is very much still there. Bet it's lovely with some daylight coming through.
 

slayaaaa

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
That's really nice, shame about the panels, but that room is worth it on its own
 

Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
Question is how many more are out there. I'm running out of leads a bit now but I've only really looked around ex-powerstations and there must be more in substations we don't know about..
 

Camera Shy

Old enough to know better
Regular User
I’d given up trying to work out where this was from that one shot you’d posted. Nice to see some more, looks well tidy.
 

dave

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Great stuff that and what a pleasure to see that voltmeter made by Reyrolle of Hebburn a huge employer up here in the northeast at one time.
 
Top