Every weekday morning for the past 4 years I’ve walked past one of London’s most iconic buildings. The Tate Modern. It wasn’t until I had a child that I ever went inside (with its large open spaces, it’s the perfect place to go with a kid).
I’d never really thought much about the building itself, but inside, it’s cavernous and retains much of its industrial charm, including the old Turbine Hall. It was once upon a time, of course, a power station.
The Tate Modern (2026)
Bankside Power Station was first built in 1891 and it generated power locally for nearly a century.The main structure of the building as we know it today was designed in the late 1940s by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who is possibly most famous for designing the red telephone box, which today doubles up as a prop for London tourist photo shoots or, sadly, a public urinal. In 1981 the power station was decommissioned and sat largely idle before opening as the Tate Modern in the year 2000.
I wonder how many redundant post-war buildings built in London are ever repurposed rather than being demolished in place of a newer, shinier structure? Office blocks, flats, they all seem to be torn down and replaced.
In the case of Bankside Power Station, I think we are all blessed that the structure was retained, with builders working with what was already there to give it a completely new purpose.
So, reader, what can we extract from this story of redesign and renewal?
Bankside survived because it was properly built in the first place. A solid structure, rugged enough to withstand the wind of change. A lesser structure might not have made it.
Now, think of yourself as the power station in your own family.
We are all load-bearing structures to some degree. We carry work, family, relationships and responsibilities, keeping the turbines turning for the people around us.
How robust is your structure?
Does the load need lightening, or does the structure need reinforcing?
Take a minute to reflect on what will keep your turbines turning.
You’ve got a job to do.
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