Many of London’s original power stations have either been demolished, converted for other use, or stand derelict awaiting redevelopment that is seemingly always just out of reach. However, in their prime these mighty ‘cathedrals of power’ played a vital role in London’s journey towards becoming the world’s most important city. Gasworks also played a key role, built in the Victorian era to manufacture gas for industry and the people, before later falling out of favour once natural gas was discovered in the North Sea. London’s Lost Power Stations and Gasworks looks at the history of these great places. Famous sites that are still standing today, such as those at Battersea and Bankside (now the Tate Modern gallery), are covered in detail, but so are the previously untold stories of long-demolished and forgotten sites. Appealing to anyone with even the slightest interest in London, derelict buildings or urban exploring, this book uses London’s power supply as the starting point for a fascinating hidden history of Britain’s capital, and of the more general development of cities from the era of industrialisation to the present day.

Ben Pedroche graduated from De Montfort University in 2002 and has been living and working in London since 2008. He enjoys writing books about the greatest city in the world, London. He has published one book so far entitled "Do Not Alight Here: Walking London's Lost Underground and Railway Stations" and has written extensively for a range of different magazines.