REVEALED: IMG to operate 'glass elevator' chimney lift experience at Battersea in 2022

Global entertainments and events firm IMG has signed a contract to operate the Chimney Lift Experience at the Battersea Power Station.

The attraction will see a glass elevator transport visitors up 109m inside one of the power station’s iconic chimneys.

Once at the top, guests are able to enjoy 360-degree views of the capital’s skyline in a purpose-built space.

Set to open in 2022, the Chimney Lift Experience will hold up to 30 visitors and will be available to the public, as well as for private events.

Guests will also be able to experience an immersive exhibition, which celebrates the Grade II*-listed building’s history and cultural influence.

Announcing the IMG deal, Battersea Power Station Development Company has published an interactive image, showing the views that visitors will be able to enjoy from the top of the chimney (see below).

IMG produces and operates some of the UK’s most popular events – including Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, the Natural History Museum Ice Rink, Hampton Court Palace Festival, The Big Feastival and Taste of London.

Stephen Flint Wood, MD of arts and entertainment events at IMG, said: “The Chimney Lift will provide year-round entertainment, with visual and experiential elements for visitors from across all of London, the UK and around the world to enjoy.

"We look forward to welcoming them when it opens next year.”

The news comes as Michelin-starred celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay announced he will be opening his latest Street Pizza restaurant at Battersea Power Station.

The eaterie will join more than 20 restaurants, bars, shops, wellness and leisure facilities already open in Circus West Village – the riverside neighbourhood and "first chapter" in the regeneration of the iconic Grade II* listed Power Station.

Ramsay said: "For many years I would travel home to South London, after a late

service, crossing the river in the shadows of those huge derelict chimneys, never did I imagine one day I would open a restaurant on such a historic site and become part of such a thriving community.”

The two announcements mark the latest progress in the long-running project to redevelop the historic power station into a mixed-use "district".

Once fully open to the public in 2022, Battersea Power Station will house more than 100 retail outlets, bars and restaurants, as well as unique events, leisure spaces and visitor attractions.

There is also a wide range of green and open public spaces, including the six-acre Power Station Park, which sits directly in front of the building on the banks of the river.

Among the major corporate tenants will be US tech giant Apple, which has taken 500,000sq ft of office space to create a UK campus.