Inside the £8.2M Powerhouse penthouse atop Chelsea’s iconic Lots Road Power Station. Five-bedroom sanctuary with Thames views and bespoke design.
Twin chimneys rise above Chelsea’s Thames riverfront. They’re industrial relics, yes, but they mark something more interesting: one of London’s boldest architectural resurrections. The former Lots Road Power Station, once called the Cathedral of Power, sat dormant for years. Now it’s Powerhouse, a residential address that pairs Victorian industrial architecture with contemporary luxury. And it’s releasing its final two residences.
This might be the last chance to own heritage riverfront property at this scale in the capital. The Grade II listed building required serious craftsmanship to transform. Two million bricks were removed, restored, and replaced. One by one. For nearly a century, this structure supplied electricity to the entire London Underground network. Turning it into one of the city’s most exclusive residential addresses took seven years. Sir Terry Farrell led the architectural vision as part of Chelsea Waterfront.
A Dual Vision for Discerning Collectors
CK Asset Holdings Ltd did something unusual here. Instead of forcing one design aesthetic across the remaining residences, they commissioned two different British designers. Each got to create their own vision within the historic framework. It’s a smart move. Today’s ultra-high-net-worth buyers want individuality. They want emotional resonance. Uniform luxury doesn’t cut it anymore.
The result? Two distinct homes. Fiona Barratt-Campbell designed the penthouse at the top of the structure. Angel O’Donnell conceived a dramatic duplex. They’re completely different takes on contemporary luxury within heritage architecture. One’s sculptural, minimal, quietly elegant. The other’s sensory, rich, expressive.
Dr Edmond Ho, Director at Hutchison Property Group (UK) Limited, puts it this way:
“Powerhouse is more than a restoration – it is a resurrection of one of London’s great architectural icons. With only a limited number of residences available, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Chelsea’s history. These homes have been designed for an audience who value heritage with integrity and contemporary luxury with purpose.”
The Penthouse: Eight Years in the Making
Barratt-Campbell’s connection to Powerhouse goes back eight years. She designed the 100-metre central atrium. The twin concierge lobbies. All of it. The penthouse is where that relationship culminates. It’s a two-storey residence at the very top of the building. Industrial history meeting residential ambition.
Five bedrooms spread across 3,124 square feet of net internal area. The design language is sculptural. Layered. Bespoke stonework grounds the interiors. The textures and lighting work together to create sanctuary. There’s a sweeping architectural staircase that functions as art and necessity. Full-height glazing blurs the line between interior and terrace.
The views are worth discussing. From up here, you get uninterrupted vistas across the Thames. Central London’s skyline spreads out before you. In Chelsea, where outdoor space is expensive and riverfront is scarce, these private terraces are genuinely rare.
“Powerhouse has a unique historic energy, but I wanted the penthouse to feel like a sanctuary at the top of the building – a home that is warm, deeply tactile and timeless by design. It is a piece of modern craft set within a building of great industrial beauty.”
That’s how Barratt-Campbell describes her philosophy for the space. The penthouse costs approximately £8.2 million. It’s firmly in the realm of London’s most exclusive offerings. But consider the package: heritage significance, architectural pedigree, Thames frontage. The value’s there.
The Duplex: Architecture as Experience
Angel O’Donnell took a fundamentally different approach to the five-bedroom duplex. The emphasis shifts here. They call it ‘sensescaping.’ It’s about designing for how people actually live, not just how spaces look.
The residence runs across two floors and 2,463 square feet. At its heart sits a 3.5-metre circular window in the double-height living space. It’s more than just a window. During Powerhouse’s restoration, this aperture was positioned to frame London’s skyline with precision. It captures the Thames’s changing light throughout the day.
But the duplex gets interesting beyond that centrepiece. There’s a cinema snug for intimate entertainment. A wellness studio with mirrored barre for private fitness. And perhaps most compelling, a dedicated music room with proper acoustics for instrumental practice or serious listening. You don’t see that amenity often. It acknowledges that sophisticated residents have cultural pursuits.
The double-height living area keeps elements of the building’s industrial vaulting. Visual connection to Powerhouse’s heritage remains even as the interventions make it work for modern domestic life. Multiple private balconies and a dining terrace extend the usable space outdoors. In central London, where private exterior areas are perpetually coveted, that matters.
“What makes this duplex special is the way it has been shaped around real living. There are rooms for cultural life, wellness, family connection and quiet retreat. It is expressive by design but deeply personal in mood – a home with rhythm and soul.”
Richard Angel, Co-Founder of Angel O’Donnell. The duplex is priced at approximately £5.25 million. More accessible than the penthouse while keeping exceptional specifications and generous space.
Heritage Meets Infrastructure
Chelsea Waterfront spans 8.85 acres along the Thames. It’s one of London’s final large-scale riverfront projects. Beyond Powerhouse, the scheme includes Tower East and Tower West. Residential towers with diamond-shaped footprints for panoramic river views. Plus The Rotunda and low-rise riverside residences.
This neighbourhood connects the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with Hammersmith and Fulham via three bridges over Chelsea Creek. It’s both residential enclave and urban intervention. New pedestrian connections while preserving the Thames Path’s continuity.
Powerhouse residents get proper amenities. A 24-hour concierge across two grand entrance lobbies. The service standards you’d expect in London’s established luxury buildings. Wellness facilities, riverside walks, boutique retail in the central atrium. Real liveability beyond the residences. Location’s compelling too. Imperial Wharf is moments away. The King’s Road (Chelsea’s storied commercial and cultural thoroughfare) stays easily accessible.
The property industry has recognised the development’s significance. Gold in the WhatHouse? Awards for Best Renovation. They called it “an architectural feat of astonishing scale” and “a masterclass in sensitive restoration.” Silver in the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards. Shortlisted for Construction News Awards in Best Regeneration Project. The accolades validate the achievement.
The Developer’s Track Record
CK Asset Holdings Limited brings serious credentials. As one of Hong Kong’s largest property developers, they maintain an extensive portfolio across mainland China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. In London specifically, they’ve built a reputation for prime riverfront development. Albion Riverside and Montevetro came from them.
Through Hutchison Property Group (UK) Ltd, they’ve spent two decades on award-winning residential developments across the capital. Current projects include Chelsea Waterfront and Convoys Wharf. That’s a 43-acre Thames-side site in Deptford delivering over 3,500 new homes. The portfolio shows they can execute large-scale urban regeneration without sacrificing architectural quality.
The Designers Behind the Vision
Fiona Barratt-Campbell established FBC London as a globally recognised practice. Projects across Hong Kong, New York, Mallorca, Moscow, Beirut, Switzerland, and Rome. But despite the international footprint, the studio commits to British craftsmen, artisans, and suppliers. You can see that ethos in the Powerhouse penthouse’s bespoke detailing.
Angel O’Donnell landed among Andrew Martin’s Top 100 Designers 2025. The studio’s racked up a British Institute of Interior Design Award, eight International Property Awards, and the Overall Winner trophy at the Society of British and International Interior Design. Their portfolio covers heritage properties and contemporary new builds. Recent work includes Centre Point’s Vantage Collection, One St. John’s Wood, The Bryanston, Park Hyatt Residences, and The OWO Residences by Raffles.
Co-founders Richard Angel and Ed O’Donnell don’t do predetermined stylistic signatures. They approach each project fresh. Briefs, contexts, and client aspirations shape the outcomes. This methodology has drawn international clientele from New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Bermuda. People seeking spaces that feel genuinely personal, not just designed.
Industrial Heritage Reimagined
The original Lots Road Power Station started operations in 1905. It became the largest power station in Britain. Two chimneys, each 275 feet tall, turned into Chelsea landmarks visible across west London. For 96 years, the facility generated electricity for the Underground network. Decommissioned in 2002.
What came next wasn’t just preservation. It was fundamental reimagining. The structure’s vast industrial volumes (designed for turbine halls and generator equipment) needed radical spatial reorganisation to work as luxury residences. Keeping key heritage features like the double-height spaces now in the duplex’s living areas required engineering solutions that respected the building’s listed status while creating environments suitable for 21st-century domestic life.
This balance separates Powerhouse from standard luxury developments. Residents live in genuine history, not pastiche. These walls once powered London’s transport network. The monumental brick façade, twin chimneys, and industrial bones stay intact even as interiors deliver comfort and sophistication appropriate to their price points.
The Final Opportunity
Chelsea Waterfront is approaching completion. These two residences are likely the last chance to buy property within Powerhouse itself. The building’s residential inventory has always been limited (constrained by heritage structure and the need to preserve key industrial volumes). Most residences sold long ago. Releasing the penthouse and duplex marks a genuine rarity in London’s luxury property market.
For discerning buyers, this goes beyond square footage or specification sheets. These residences offer participation in one of London’s most significant heritage conversions. Internationally recognised talents designed them within an architectural landmark. Thames frontage, private outdoor space, heritage significance, Chelsea address. That combination’s difficult to replicate elsewhere in the capital.
The two contrasting design visions let buyers choose an aesthetic that matches their sensibility. Barratt-Campbell’s sculptural restraint or Angel O’Donnell’s expressive sensescaping. Whichever resonates. Both achieve luxury through craft and consideration, not ostentation. That’s what sophisticated property collectors want now.
In a city where truly distinctive residential opportunities grow scarce, where heritage buildings face uncertain futures, where riverfront land’s largely exhausted, Powerhouse stands out. Its twin chimneys will keep marking Chelsea’s skyline for generations. But the opportunity to own within them won’t come again. For those who see the confluence of architecture, location, design, and history these final residences offer, the Cathedral of Power makes its last invitation.
