London Electric Supply Corporation
of 25A Cockspur Street, London, SW.
1883 A temporary generating plant had been installed to light Grosvenor Gallery, New Bond Street
OR
1885 Sir Coutts Lindsay installed electricity at his Grosvenor Gallery; as a result of demand from its neighbours an extensive system was installed which became London's first commercial electric power supplier.
1886 Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti developed a distribution scheme for the company using transformers.
1887 the London Electric Supply Corporation was established by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his brother, Lord Wantage, to develop the scheme further through the building of a larger power station and a system of substations.
1887 London Electric Supply Corporation took over the Grosvenor Gallery Electric Supply Corporation[1]
1887 From experience of his work at the Grosvenor Gallery, the London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) engaged Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti to design their power station at Deptford. He designed the building, the generating plant and the distribution system.
1888 The Corporation, of 79 Grosvenor St W., advertised the supply of electric current priced at 7 1/4 d per Board of Trade unit[2].
By 1888, 280 customers had been connected. The Corporation built a power station at a 3 acre site at The Stowage, Deptford.
1889 A failure of a steam pipe at the Deptford station caused one fatality. This happened during the visit by the Board of Trade inspector conducting the enquiry into the future supply of electricity for lighting in London[3].
1891 On its completion, Deptford Generating Station was the world's first modern power station. Cables were laid to link the Station with four sub-stations at Grosvenor Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Blackfriars and Deptford, supplying high-voltage (10kV) A.C. power that was then stepped down to 2.5kV at the sub-stations and further stepped down to 50 or 100V for consumer use on each street. This basic system remains in use today around the world[4]. The Corporation's early supply area ranged from Westminster, the West End, Lambeth, Blackfriars, Newington and Deptford.
The company would be using Mr Ferranti's system, which was different from the accepted forms of electricity distribution, but, in the interim, the company had been distributing electricity using the system developed for the Grosvenor Station; that station was due to be vacated in 1890 but the fire at the station brought an early end to its use. The company had laid mains at great expense from Deptford to the Grosvenor Station and had tested the supply of electricity from Deptford[5]
1891 February. Supply of current from Deptford began; this was via the step-down sub-station at Grosvenor Station[6].
The company dispensed with Mr Ferranti's services - unfortunately for him there were no other British customers for his type of equipment.
During 1890s the Corporation lost a large number of consumers following a fire at the Grosvenor Gallery Sub-station
1894 receivers were called in.
1898 receivership ended and the undertaking reverted to the Corporation.
1900 Mr P. W. D'Alton resigned as chief engineer. Mr G. W. Partridge succeeded him, and Mr C. E. Barley, late of Kensington and Knightsbridge Co, was to take special charge of the Deptford station as superintending engineer.[7]
1904 the Corporation installed two 2,000 kW alternators for London County Council's tramways and also supplied the South Eastern and London, Brighton and South Coast railway companies. It also supplied London County Council offices and St. Thomas's Hospital.
1912 A correspondent to The Times identified the company's Deptford station as one of 6 which should be considered for bulk supply in an integrated London network; it generated 1 phase 83Hz and 3 phase 25Hz 10kV with AC distribution[8].
1913 Six London companies placed a large advert about potential uses of electricity in the home and office - in the drawing room, in the dining room, in the bedroom, for cooking and for vacuum cleaning[9]
1914 Supply electricity at pressures of 105 or 210 volts (alternating) and at 230 and 460 volts (continuous). [10]
1920 One of 9 London electricity supply companies who formed London Electricity Joint Committee (1920) in opposition to the schemes proposed by the Electricity Commissioners for London. The interconnection of the companies' power stations and infrastructure helped support cheaper and increased supplies of electricity.
1923 The Deptford Generating Station and main transmission lines were acquired by London Electricity Joint Committee[11]
1927 The company continued to acquire its electricity from the London Power Co[12]
1928 Deptford Station was handed over to the London Power Company. These developments lowered customer tariffs helping the Corporation retail domestic electricity supplies and increasingly electrical appliances.
1933 Ferranti's single phase 10kV line was finally taken out of service[13]
1938 The Corporation sold its West End supply network to Central London Electricity.
1948 Nationalised[14]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Wikipedia [1]
- ↑ The Times, Apr 03, 1888
- ↑ The Times Apr. 29, 1889
- ↑ Details and illustrations are in The Engineer of 5th April 1889
- ↑ The Times, Mar 16, 1891
- ↑ The Times, Feb 18, 1891
- ↑ The Engineer 1900/02/23 p 214
- ↑ The Times Jun 12, 1912
- ↑ The Times, Dec 01, 1913
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ The Times, Nov 26, 1926
- ↑ The Times, Mar 02, 1938
- ↑ The Times Dec 21, 1933
- ↑ The Times, 10 March 1948
- [2] National Archives