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n the upper reaches of the London Borough of Wandsworth lies Battersea a town almost as decorated in landmarks as its more famous neighbour Westminster. Originally a part of Surrey the settlement of Badrics Island which later became Patrisey and then eventually Battersea radiated out from the towns nucleus St. Marys Church which is said to have been built originally by the Anglo Saxons in 800 AD. Before the industrial revolution much of St. Marys large parish was farmland that provided food for the City as well as more specialised products such as lavender which is where Lavender Hill gets its name and asparagus which were affectionately known as Battersea Bundles. The area slowly became more and more industrialised which peaked in 1939 with the completion of Wandsworths most famous landmark the Battersea Power Station. Work originally started on the first part of the station in 1929 and was completed and operational in the late 30s featuring only two of the famous chimneys. When the power station was first proposed protests from locals were vociferous with concerns that it would be an eyesore with foul emissions atop the list. To counter this Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was commissioned to design the buildings exterior a renowned architect who also designed the red telephone box. After its closure in 1975 the power station nearly became a theme park of all things but this project was halted due to a lack of funding. In February 2012 the station was put Battersea Reach from a 1910 print by Alfred Yockney Monty Don Joe Swift Sophie Raworth presenters of this years Chelsea Flower Show. c BBC Photographer Glenn Dearing 36 THE RIVER SUMMER 2015 PROPERTY