*the "Elephant Trail"-at Battersea Power Station London SW11 (2026)

Last week, under warm sunny skies, my London Shoes ventured ‘Saaf’ of the River (or – the ‘Dark Side’ as I like to refer to it as) to the historic 1930’s built “Battersea Power Station”.

The reason for the trekking down to the old Power Station building was not do do a bit of retail therapy (its innards is now home to some of London’s top high-end retailers) – No – my purpose for visiting there, was to check-out the impressive “ELEPHANT TRAIL” !!!!

The ‘Elephant Trail’ 2026 is an exclusive trail on display at Battersea Power Station and is made up of 21 artistic Elephant sculptures .

The Battersea Power Station ‘parade’ is in support of the wildlife ‘Elephant Family’ charity, who protect Asia’s most endangered wildlife, of which Elephants are high on the endangered list.

A frightening statistic is that Asian Elephants alone, have lost nearly two-thirds of their habitats over the last 300 years. In a lot of cases Elephants have been forced out of their normal/natural environments – forcing them to move closer and closer to human habitation – which in itself, has caused serious probs and casualties involving Elephants and human life.

The ‘Elephant Family’ charity is tackling Asian wildlife’s challenges and threats by working hand in hand with local communities to protect environments and help animals and people live and survive together.These big projects are made possible by funds raised through events such as the ‘Elephant Trail’ at Battersea Power Station.

Each of the 21 Elephant sculptures have been created individually and decorated by numerous artists and sculptures with the majority of the Elephants displayed inside the Power Station complex, but there are also quite a few scattered around the walkways and pathways surrounding the iconic landmark.

Highlighting the plight of these magnificent animals and their conservation – each Elephant has its own story, which you can read all about from a QR Code on the plinths supporting the statues.

Throughout recent years my London Shoes has published a few of these types of public art trails – as I think they create a brilliant family day out in the ‘Smoke’ while supporting an important charity/cause – kids luv it.

Families can follow the Elephant Trail and track down the location of each Elephant, via an interactive app – and there is also a chance to bid for one of the sculptures in an online auction, helping to raise funds to protect Asia’s elephants, tigers and other endangered wildlife – what’s not to like!!!

This unique exhibition of Elephants is running until April 26^th – so there’s time to shuffle off down to Battersea and check it out – you certainly wont be dissapointed.

So – having clocked up several thousand ‘steps’ trying to track down all 21 of the Elephants (without the aid of the interactive app, I would add) – I was most definitely in need of some liquid refreshment and some grub – but rather than pay top dollar for a drink etc at one of the eating establishments inside the Power Station – my London Shoes thought it might be a good idea to head off eastwards towards Vauxhall Bridge – cross over the River Thames to Pimlico, and find a cosy little pub there.

Now – what I didn’t take into account was just how tired my (not that far off 70yr old) trotters were, from chasing all those Elephants around – also, I didn’t appreciate just how long a walk it was from Battersea Power Station to Vauxhall Bridge – so by the time I was half way across the bridge, looking back down the Thames at the iconic Battersea Power Station landmark – I was seriously ‘cream crackered’ and just had to find the nearest pub to rest up in – and fortunately, just a couple of mins walk from Vauxhall Bridge, on the Pimlico banks of the Thames, I (literally) stumbled into ‘The Grosvenor’ pub.

‘The Grosvenor’ is located in Grosvenor Road-Pimlico – just a couple of mins walk from the River. It is a single bar pub that dates back to the 1920’s when it was called ‘The Spread Eagle’. It was built on top of the old River Tyburn that flowed into the Thames, and many of the pub’s original 1920’s wooden fixtures/fittings/mirrors etc are still in situ.

It was quiet and cosy in The Grosvenor and the ideal place for London Shoes to take the weight off me feet, relax and sink a couple of enjoyable ‘cheeky’ Guinness’s.

Anyway – that’s the story of the Battersea Power Station ‘Elephant Trail’ for 2026 – hope you enjoyed it and the accompanying photos.

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Below is the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog article

The ‘Elephant Trail’ 2026 is an exclusive trail at Battersea Power Station and is made up of 21 artistic Elephant statues.

The Battersea Power Station ‘parade’ is in support of the wildlife ‘Elephant Family’ charity, who protect Asia’s most endangered wildlife, of which Elephants are high on the endangered list.

Today (Jan 2025) Battersea Power Station building and its surround area, comprises of new homes / cafes / restaurants / shops / apartments.

Me & my London Shoes alongside the iconic London landmark that is Battersea Power Station

Now – here’s a little known fact – I was actually born in Battersea some 69yrs ago – and lived the first 5yrs of my life there – so I thought it was such a nice touch for the town to welcome me back …..how on earth did they know I was coming to visit??

A frightening statistic is that Asian Elephants alone have lost nearly two-thirds of their habitats over the last 3 hundred years. In a lot of cases Elephants have been forced out of their normal/natural environments. Exhibitions like the “Elephant Trail” at Battersea Power Station help generate vital funds that allow the charity to carry out and continue their preservation/conservation work

The ‘Elephant Trail’ is an exclusive exhibition of 21 elephant statues on display in and around Battersea Power Station.

Each of the 21 Elephant sculptures have been created individually and decorated by numerous artists and sculptures. The majority of the Elephants are on display inside the Power Station complex, but there also quite a few scattered around the walkways and pathways surrounding the building.

Highlighting the plight of these magnificent animals and their conservation – each elephant has its own story, which you can read all about from a QR Code on the plinths supporting the statues.

The interior of the old Power Station building has been developed into a massive shopping centre, comprising currently of 150 shops selling mainly high-end brands, but there are also some high street retail outlets

The majority of the Elephant statues are displayed throughout the interior shopping malls of Battersea Power Station.