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| Thousands take last chance to see Battersea Power Station | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Thousands of people have taken the chance to have a last look inside Battersea Power Station before its £8bn redevelopment. | |
| They queued for about five hours to get inside the Grade II listed building on the banks of the River Thames in south-west London. | |
| The structure is one of 700 venues opened up to visitors as part of Open House London weekend. | |
| The 39-acre site will be tuned into 3,500 homes, offices, shops and a park. | The 39-acre site will be tuned into 3,500 homes, offices, shops and a park. |
| On Saturday, police helped manage the crowds as 18,000 people got into the power station. | |
| Robert Deas, 49, from Richmond in south-west London, said there had been some "ill feeling" at the point where two queues to get into the building met up. | Robert Deas, 49, from Richmond in south-west London, said there had been some "ill feeling" at the point where two queues to get into the building met up. |
| 'Iconic building' | |
| "I think it should have been anticipated that most of London would want to see inside Battersea Power Station, and I really think the whole building should have been left standing open for a week so that everyone could just wander in at their leisure." | "I think it should have been anticipated that most of London would want to see inside Battersea Power Station, and I really think the whole building should have been left standing open for a week so that everyone could just wander in at their leisure." |
| But Ross Pike, 29, said the queue had been "jovial" adding: "It's a big iconic building we've never been able to go into before. | But Ross Pike, 29, said the queue had been "jovial" adding: "It's a big iconic building we've never been able to go into before. |
| "Before it gets cordoned off and turned into apartments, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look inside it, having seen it from the street for so long." | "Before it gets cordoned off and turned into apartments, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look inside it, having seen it from the street for so long." |
| A Malaysian consortium behind the redevelopment said it will take at least 10 years to complete the project and generate 15,000 jobs. | |
| The power station building - famed for its four brick chimneys - has been vacant since being decommissioned in 1983 and features on English Heritage's At Risk register. | The power station building - famed for its four brick chimneys - has been vacant since being decommissioned in 1983 and features on English Heritage's At Risk register. |
| The Open House project gives the members of the public rare access to some of the buildings. | The Open House project gives the members of the public rare access to some of the buildings. |
| Among those also on the list are King's Cross Station clock tower, Dr Johnson's house - where he compiled his famous Dictionary of the English Language - and several embassies. | Among those also on the list are King's Cross Station clock tower, Dr Johnson's house - where he compiled his famous Dictionary of the English Language - and several embassies. |
| Earlier the Metropolitan Police Service opened several police stations to the public. | Earlier the Metropolitan Police Service opened several police stations to the public. |