Brighton Electric Light Station
1881 Robert Hammond, the agent for the Brush Arc Lighting system, staged a demonstration with 16 arc lamps in series to illum1nate the business of local shopkeepers.
1882 The Hammond Light and Power Company was formed and started to supply electricity on 27 February 1882, one of the first public electricity supplies.
Arthur Wright then developed a method for running incandescent lamps off the same circuit; demand grew so that by 1887 there were 1500 incandescent lamps, 34 arc lamps. 15 miles of overhead cable and round the clock operation had been started.
The first generator was erected in the yard of Reeds Foundry, Gloucester Road. As demand increased a new power station was built next door. By the time that the new station came into operation the Hammond company had gone into voluntary liquidation and was acquired by the newly formed Brighton Electric Light Co Ltd.
1888 The title of the company became Brighton and Hove Electric Light Company Ltd.
1890 Brighton Corporation started construction of its own power station in North Road, almost opposite Reed's Iron Foundry where the Hammond company's generator was located.
1891 The municipal power station opened but using direct current which their competitor had abandoned 3 years earlier. The original plant consisted of 3 coal-fired Lancashire boilers and 4 Willans-Gooden generating sets.
By 1904, the generating station had been considerably expanded taking in adjoining properties in North Road and Bread Street and having 6 Lancashire boilers, 10 Babcock and Wilcox boilers, 15 Willans and Robinson engines direct-coupled to 15 dynamos made by Electric Construction Co and Bruce Peebles.
1906 A new power station was opened outside the town, see Southwick Power Station.
1908 The North Road unit was closed.