A grey and misty walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

London is a great walking city, and there’s plenty of interesting strolls you can take, even when the weather is a bit crap. On a damp and misty Sunday, we got the tube up from Brixton to Vauxhall station and headed west.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

This south riverside is being enthusiastically developed to provide luxury flats for the well heeled. In the distance you can see Battersea Power Station’s chimneys being rebuilt.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

Billed as “London’s new diplomatic precinct,” Embassy Gardens is on the riverside of Nine Elms and comes with the usual glossy website to attract the overstuffed wallets of the rich.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

The riverside path takes you past several permanent moorings.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

That’s quite literally a house boat.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

Low tide on the Thames.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

After years of deliberation and a few wild proposals, work has gone ahead of a dreary redevelopment of the area.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

In nearby Battersea Park can be found Barbara Hepworth’s 1961-2 sculpture “Single Form,” dedicated to the memory of Dag Hammarskjold, the late general secretary of the United Nations.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

Looking across the river to the fine houses of Chelsea.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

The London Peace Pagoda was built in 1985 in Battersea Park. Permission to build it was the last legislative act of the Greater London Council.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

Walking across the Albert Bridge, which was designed and built by Rowland Mason Ordish in 1873, but after it proved to be structurally unsound,Sir Joseph Bazalgette stepped in to modify the design between 1884 and 1887.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

Looking east to a misty London.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

The Saatchi Gallery of contemporary art was opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 so he could show off his collection to the public. Admission is free.

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

The basement contains Richard Wilson’s 20:50 installation, a cunning piece of work that deceives the senses:

Viewed from the entrance platform 20:50 appears as a holographic field: simultaneously a polished floor, infinite clear pool, an expansive and indefinable virtual space that clinically absorbs and mirrors the gallery architecture. The room is in fact entirely flooded in oil.  [Saachi]

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

A walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London

See photos from an earlier visit to the Saatchi Gallery here

More info:
Saachi Gallery
Duke of York’s HQ
King’s Road
London
SW3 4RY

OPENING HOURS
10am-6pm, 7 days a week, last entry 5:30pm

2 Comments on “A grey and misty walk from Vauxhall to Chelsea and the Saatchi Gallery, London”

  1. Love these photos, I know the areas around your walk very well, but I have never taken such fine photos. I think that bridge you cross is the Albert Bridge, not the Battersea, maybe I am wrong. Thanks!

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