South of the River, for a Change.

Mid way through the half term, and my two youngest have doubled into four, you got it, a BIG playdate.   And where  best to trip off to but the architecturally fabulous TateModern.   I love it’s industrial strength, the straight lines (which feeds into my slight OCD) and  the simplicity of it all.  What a Powerhouse of Modern Architecture.

A little background on the building – The Tate Modern (formerly the  Bankside Power Station) together with  Battersea Power Station, were originally designed by  Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and built in two stages between 1947 and 1963.  The Bankside power station closed in 1981 and the building was transformed into the modern gallery it is now by architects  Herzog & de Meuron.   The Tate Modern first opened in 2000.  The tallest part of the building stands at 99m (33 storeys)!  The Turbine Hall, the largest part of the building, is five storeys tall with 3,400 square metres of floorspace.

The Tate is undergoing a £215 million major extension which is scheduled to open in 2012 hopefully ready for the Olympic Games.  This will make the Tate Modern  the No 1 most visited modern gallery in the world.

And we’re in it – The Turbine Hall.

Watching the exhibition by Tacita Dean, a British born artist living in Berlin and best known for her use of film, was fantastic.    This particular FILM is an 11-minute continuous silent 35mm piece projected onto the gigantic white 13 metre high column  at the end of the very very dark  hall.   Superb.

The girls loved it.  They played ‘It’ and  ‘Hide and Seek’ for about 1.5 hours.

After which we popped up to the Interactive Area on Level 5  to play on a ‘touch pad ipad thingy megingy’ according to my middle one!   This gave me the opportunity to stroll around the photographic exhibition on the same level.  It’s amazing how much there is to do in one building.

We then ended up on the Millenium Bridge, much to my fright as I’m so not good with heights.  I walked very quickly holding two little hands all the way to the other side.  Phew.  How sad am I!

Properties in the Area.

No day will go by when I’m not working or thinking about property, it’s right up there with listening to LBC to send me to sleep at night and still needing that teeny weeny bit of sugar in my tea.  All part of what makes me me.

Looking locally, the nearest obvious residential development is Neo Bankside SE1 which are four pavillion buildings going up at the back of the Tate (they can be seen on the main picture).  It’s a £3oo million scheme in the Bankside ‘cultural quarter’.   One bedroom apartments are being marketed from £700,000.  They come equipped with Balthaup kitchen, comfort cooling, underfloor heating and far reaching views over Westminster.

Just down the road (100 yards) on Great Suffolk Street, a one bedroom apartment is on for £395,000 or a 2 bedroom at £525,000 in a RIBA award winning development with a lift and all the mod cons.

Further down the road towards London Bridge, a one bedroom apartment situated in a Victorian Warehouse Building close by to the famous Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, is priced at £325,000.  A two bedroom on Weller Street, with balcony close to Borough station and priced at £439,950.

While I’m South of the river, I’d like to give a  mention to the ongoing redevelopment of the  area next to Battersea and Vauxhall known ‘as Nine Elms’ and a  property  ‘hotspot’.  Last year Knight Frank predicted this area to grow by 140% by 2015!   Situated on the 450-acre former industrial riverside wasteland around the glorious Battersea Power Station, which will include a new embassy complex for the US and a Northern Line Extension.  A one bedroom ‘off plan’ apartment starts from £418,000, with balcony, 24 hour porter, clubhouse for residents to include a gym.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the gallery or any other interesting spots to visit  in London.  Please suggest something similar for the Easter Break.   I’ll need it.