As part of my story, a fairly big part, my intrepid heroes have to make their way to Battersea Power Station, now I know it has Art Deco frontings and Art Deco is 1930’s and my story is set in 1952. So Battersea would be there. Right?
Wrong. Turns out the Power Station was built in two phases. The first or Turbine A in the 30’s. The Second, Turbine B was built after the war and became fully operational between 1953 and 1957.
Great so there they are and I cannot narrow down whether there were two , three of four chimneys on the skyline in December 1952.
On the plus side it increases my word count as the characters have to have a quick exposition mentioning the chimneys (I’ve split the difference and gone for three).
Of course even knowing this even having read up on it and found a pre 1947 picture to confirm it, every time I mention the Power Station I mentally see all four chimneys because that is what has been on the skyline my entire life. I’m pretty sure anyone who knows Battersea, and thanks to album covers and cameos in film & TV it is a fairly well known silhouette will visualise four too.
Maybe I’ll move the action to the Dogs Home, was that even there in 1952?
