Davies Street Power Station

1893

1897. Davies street, London.

Electric Lighting Station at the corner of Davies Street and Robert (now Weighouse) Street, Mayfair, Westminster

1891 One of 3 generating stations of the Westminster Electric Supply Co Ltd. The others were at Millbank Street and Eccleston Place. All three were interconnected.

1893 The power station was described in Engineering 1893/03/17. Some extracts are quoted or summarised below.

Professor A. B. W. Kennedy, the engineer to the corporation, designed the station; Mr. C. Stanley Peach, of John-street, Adelphi, was the architect; and Mr. Ll. Foster was the resident engineer. There were eleven generators made by Crompton and ECC, all driven by Willans engines. There was also a small engine and dynamo to supply the building's lift. The engines were non-condensing, due to the non-availability of water supply for condensers, and exhausted into the chimney. The engine room was located in the space between the wings of the building, and covered by a light roof.

Batteries supplied the load at night when the engines were shut down.

In the early years, ice-making machines were operated during the summer months at both Davies Street and Eccleston Place, providing useful load at times when demand for lighting was much reduced.

Between 1899 and 1902 the company changed the system of direct-current steam-generation at its 3 stations to motor (sic)-generator operation.

1900 Increased capacity: From 1900 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Visits to Works: 'Davies Street Station.— This station has a total horse-power of 4,240. The engine room is 88 feet by 46 feet, and is lighted from above. There are two boiler houses, one 72 feet by 43 feet and the other 92 feet by 36 feet. The engines are all Willans and Robinson's high-speed single-acting engines, two are of 80 horsepower each, six of 200 horse-power, and eight of 360 horse-power. All engines are compound and work at a steam-pressure of 150 lbs. per square inch. All the larger sizes are 3-crank engines. The steam-pipes are of steel, and are placed on the walls round the room in the form of a ring, with a stop-valve between each pair of engines. The exhaust pipes are placed beneath the floor.

'Steam is generated in sixteen boilers, all of the dry-back marine type. Ten of these boilers are 8 feet by 12 feet, with 3-inch tubes and two furnaces. The rest of the boilers are 8 feet 6 inches by 14 feet with 3-inch tubes, and two furnaces. Best Welsh coal is used with hand-firing, no mechanical stokers being used. Forced draught is not used, the chimney being 175 feet in height. Fly-wheel and duplex direct-acting feed-pumps are used. The boiler feed-water passes through exhaust steam heaters between the pumps and the boilers. The dynamos generate continuous current at 200 volts pressure, the larger size having an output of 1,000 amperes. They are shunt-wound and are coupled direct to the engine shaft. All regulating is done by shunt resistances and switches placed on the switchboard.'

1921 Station closed after the reorganisation of the 10 central companies in London

It now seems strange that it was so necessary to have the generating plant in such close proximity to the consumers. Surprising, too, that the residents of Mayfair accepted such a thing but that may testify to the attractions of the new electricity supply. The drawing above, and the 1968 photo here shows the lengths which the company went to to make it not look like a coal-fired generating station, despite it having a 180 ft chimney. The building incorporated shops and residential 'chambers'. Engineering noted that the occupants of the building, being tenants of the company, cannot bring bogus claims on account of any possible vibration that there may be. As a matter of fact, the vibration is practically imperceptible, and as the flats are arranged as “bachelor suites,” will not give rise to complaint.'

' ... a large block of concrete, 10 ft. thick, isolated by 18 in. space from surrounding walls, and extending below the entire range of engines and dynamos. The lower surface of this is arched, and the rounded spaces filled with sand, to prevent the block rocking as a whole. The chimney base is at a lower level than the engine base.' Initially there were six boilers, four by Davey, Paxman and Co., of Colchester, and two by Messrs. Fraser and Fraser of Bow, and space was left for four more.

'To regulate the pressure [voltage] there is a voltmeter between each pair of engines, connected to a distant feeder. Supposing one engine to be running and the demand to be increasing, the regulator is opened wider and wider to keep up the pressure until the full power of the engine is reached. Then the second engine is started, and the same plan followed until it is fully loaded. The third engine is then started, and so on. When the load is decreasing, the engines are slowed down and stopped one by one in the inverse order. From the distant end of each pair of feeders, wires are led back to voltmeters to show the pressure in various parts of the network.'

The power station premises were taken over for use as a garage by the Leverton Kearton Co in 1923. 'This extraordinarily strongly-built edifice, designed to withstand the vibration of very heavy machinery, is the very thing for the purpose, .....'

The chimney survived until c.1978. .

Redevelopment worked started in 1978 in connection with the rebuilding of Bond Street underground station. Arguably a Victorian power station was much more pleasing to the eye than the brick monolith which replaced it.

In 1903–5 the Duke Street Electricity Substation, a few streets west of the generating station, and designed by C. Stanley Peach, replaced the Brown Hart Communal Gardens. The substation supported a paved 'Italian Garden' and Baroque building.

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