The County of London Electric Supply Company Limited (C.L.E.S.Co) was a British electricity undertaking. It was incorporated as a public company in 1891 to generate and supply electricity to parts of south west London and two parishes adjacent to the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
. It owned and operated power stations at Wandsworth and City Road. From 1925 it cooperated with three other London companies, with the intention of centralising electricity generation in the new, high
thermal efficiency
In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency (\eta_) is a dimensionless performance measure of a device that uses thermal energy, such as an internal combustion engine, steam turbine, steam engine, boiler, furnace, refrigerator, ACs etc.
For a he ...
, power station at
Barking
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
. The company was abolished in March 1948 upon the
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the British electricity supply industry.
Background
The County of London Electric Lighting Company Limited was registered on 30 June 1891, to supply electricity to areas of north, south and south west London.
The company was granted Provisional Orders to supply electricity as follows:
* 1892 – County of London North (St Luke and Clerkenwell);
* 1892 – District of Wandsworth Board of Works, plus the parishes of Putney, Wandsworth, Tooting Graveney, Streatham and Clapham;
* 1895 – St Olave Southwark;
* 1896 – Camberwell;
* 1897 – Holborn (east part);
* 1897 – County of London east for Mile End Old Town, St George’s in the East, and Limehouse District Board of Works.
The Company changed its name to the County of London and Brush Provincial Electric Lighting Company Limited in 1893.
By 1903 it was called the County of London Electric Supply Company Limited.
Operations
Management
The Company had five Chairmen between 1896 and 1948:
*
Lord Rathmore
* Joseph Bevan Braithwaite
*
Sir Harry Renwick
* Sir
Bernard E. Greenwell
*
Sir Robert Renwick
The Company management board in 1922 was composed of:
*
Sir Harry Renwick (Chairman and Managing Director)
*
Lord Gainford
* Sir
Bernard E. Greenwell
*
Sir Frederick Hall
* J. A. Hosker
* R. Percy Sellon
The company’s registered address was Moorgate Court, Moorgate Place, London EC2.
Power stations
The company initially built two power stations, one at City Road and one in Wandsworth.
City Road power station
The City Road power station was located on the City Road basin on the
Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in eas ...
(51°31'48"N 0°05'50"W). It had coal-fired boilers generating steam for Brush compound engines coupled directly to Mordey
dynamo
file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...
s. The initial plant installed was capable of supplying 80,000 8-candle-power lamps.
In 1923 the plant at the City Road power station comprised:
* Boilers:
** 168,100 lb/h (21.2 kg/s), which provided steam to:
* Generators:
** 2 × 1,500 kW
turbo-alternators,
alternating current
Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...
,
** 1 × 2,500 kW turbo-alternator, alternating current,
** 1 × 5,500 kW turbo-alternator, alternating current,
** 1 × 525 kW
reciprocating engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
,
direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...
,
** 2 × 600 kW reciprocating engine, direct current
These machines had a total generating capacity of 10,500 kW of AC and 1,725 kW of DC.
The electricity available to customers was:
* 2-phase AC 50 Hz 104 Volts
* DC 530 Volts
City Road power station was not a 'selected station' under the
Central Electricity Board
The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926. It had the duty to supply electricity to authorised electricity undertakers, to determine which power stations would be 'selected' stations ...
's 1926 scheme, as a consequence the Company decommissioned it in 1929.
Wandsworth power station
''See main article:''
Wandsworth power station
Wandsworth power station supplied electricity to the London district of Wandsworth and to Putney, Tooting Graveney, Streatham and Clapham from 1897 to 1964. It was owned and operated by the County of London Electric Supply Company, County of Lon ...
The plant at Wandsworth power station used coal-fired boilers and Brush Universal machines coupled directly to Mordey dynamos. The plant was capable of supplying 40,000 8-candle-power lamps. In addition to the power stations, work included the laying of cables in St Luke, Clerkenwell, Wandsworth, Putney, Streatham, Clapham, Holborn and Camberwell.
By 1923 the plant comprised:
* Coal-fired boilers generating up to 322,400 lb/h (40.62 kg/s) of steam which was supplied to:
* Generators:
** 1 × 1,000 kW reciprocating engine,
** 3 × 1,500 kW steam
turbo-alternators,
** 2 × 5,000 kW steam turbo-alternators,
** 2 × 6,000 kW steam turbo-alternators.
These machines had a total generating capacity of 27,500 kW of alternating current.
The electricity available to customers was:
* 2-phase AC 50 Hz 205 and 404 Volts
* 3-phase AC 50 Hz 205 and 404 Volts
* DC 410 Volts
Wandsworth power station was operational until 1964.
Electricity supply
The business of the company increased to meet the rising demand for electricity. The following table summarises the growth of the company in terms of capacity of the plant, the electricity load, the amount of current sold, and the number of customers.
The growth in sales of electricity, in
GWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
, is shown on the following graphs.
Electricity use
Electricity was originally used for lighting but ‘power’ uses were soon established. The following table illustrates the quantities and changing patterns of use.
Financial statistics
The capital required to establish, build and operate the business was raised through the offer of shares. Capital expenditure was needed for the purchase of land, buildings, machinery, mains, transformers, meters, electrical instruments, legal costs, fixtures and furniture at the stations.
The capital expenditure in 1896 and 1897, associated with the commissioning of the power stations at City Road and Wandsworth, amounted to:
Profits were made through the sale of electricity which provided an income for the Company and its shareholders. An example of the sums involved is shown in the table.
Shareholders
dividend
A dividend is a distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, it is able to pay a portion of the profit as a dividend to shareholders. Any amount not distributed is taken to be re-in ...
s were paid throughout the operational life of the company. Dividends expressed as a percentage of the total capital raised in a given year were as shown, together with the average dividends paid by the London company electricity undertakings.
Expansion
The company expanded its operations, particularly in East London and into south Essex and Kent.
By 1913 the County of London Company was supplying the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bermondsey, Camberwell, Finsbury, Holborn, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth; the Urban Districts of Merton and Morden, Romford, and Tilbury; and the Rural Districts of Croydon, Orsett and Tilbury.
To meet the requirements of the expanded supply area, capital expenditure on new plant and equipment was required, as shown on the table below.
Electricity supplies to further areas continued. By 1937 the Company was supplying electricity additionally to: the Metropolitan Boroughs of Barking, Beddington and Wallington, Dagenham, Mitcham, Reigate, Sutton and Cheam and Wimbledon; the Urban Districts of Banstead, Billericay, Brentwood, Carshalton, Caterham and Warlingham, Hornchurch, Thurrock, Wanstead and Woodford; and the Rural Districts of Epping, and Godstone.
The Company supplied users such as the South Metropolitan Electric Tramways and Lighting Company (from 1916, supplying 2,021.0 MWh in 1919); the South London Electric Supply Corporation (from 1917, supplying 5,340.4 MWh in 1923).
Between 1918 and 1936 the Company acquired 14 other electricity companies.
It was able to consolidate development over a large area of south east England through its Kent Power Company subsidiary.
In 1920, the County of London Electric Supply Company applied for permission to build a power station at Creekmouth in Barking capable of expansion to 600 MW. To finance the construction the Company issued shares, there were offers in 1921 and 1922. The 1922 offer consisted of 500,000 six per cent cumulative preference shares and 500,000 ordinary shares.
Barking A station was built, and was commissioned in 1925.
The County of London Company and three others in south and east London promoted the London Electricity (No.1) Act 1925. The four companies were: the
City of London Electric Lighting Company
The City of London Electric Lighting Company Limited (CLELCo) was a British electricity undertaking. It was formed in July 1891 to generate and supply electricity to the City of London and part of north Southwark. It owned and operated Bankside ...
; the County of London Electric Supply Company Limited; the
South London Electric Supply Corporation Limited; and the
South Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company Limited. They established a joint committee to specify how generating stations of each company were operated.
The companies remained district electricity supply undertakings; although they were physically joined with interconnecting cables.
The companies envisaged that power stations such as Barking would provide enough capacity for their electricity requirements. The Act required equal consideration for the interests of shareholders and consumers. Dividends to shareholders were limited to 7 percent per year and the funds that could be carried forward in the accounts were restricted. Profits above these conditions formed a ‘consumers’ benefit’ in the form of lower prices.
The company built
Barking B power station which was commissioned in 1933.
Government policy
Under the terms of the ''Electricity (Supply) Act 1926'' (16-17 Geo. 5 c. 51) the
Central Electricity Board
The United Kingdom Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926. It had the duty to supply electricity to authorised electricity undertakers, to determine which power stations would be 'selected' stations ...
(CEB) was established.
The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively. The CEB also constructed the
national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region.
City Road power station was not a selected station, as a consequence the Company decommissioned it in 1929.
The British electricity supply industry was
nationalised
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
in 1948 under the provisions of the ''Electricity Act 1947'' (10-11 Geo. 6 c. 54).
The County of London Electric Supply Company undertaking was abolished, ownership of Wandsworth and Barking power stations were vested in the
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...
, and subsequently the
Central Electricity Authority
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was a body that managed and operated the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1 April 1955 and 31 December 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority (BEA) as a r ...
and the
Central Electricity Generating Board
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.
It was established on 1 Januar ...
(CEGB).
At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the County of London electricity undertaking were transferred to the
London Electricity Board
The London Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for the supply and distribution of electricity to domestic, commercial and industrial consumers in London prior to 1990. It also sold and made available for hire and ...
(LEB).
Wandsworth power station was operational until 1964.
Barking A and B power stations were operational until 1969 and 1976 respectively.
See also
*
Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry
This timeline outlines the key developments in the United Kingdom electricity industry from the start of electricity supplies in the 1870s to the present day. It identifies significant developments in technology for the generation, transmission and ...
*
List of pre-nationalisation UK electric power companies
The electrical power industry in the United Kingdom was nationalised by the Electricity Act 1947, when over six hundred electric power companies were merged into twelve area boards.
List of companies
Companies merged into East Midlands Electrici ...
*
London Power Company
The London Power Company was an electricity generating and bulk supply company in London, England, formed in 1925 by the merger of ten small electricity companies. In 1948 Britain's electricity supply industry was nationalised under the Electri ...
*
Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation
The Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was incorporated as a public company in 1889 to generate and supply electricity to parts of the City of Westminster, Holborn and later t ...
*
City of London Electric Lighting Company
The City of London Electric Lighting Company Limited (CLELCo) was a British electricity undertaking. It was formed in July 1891 to generate and supply electricity to the City of London and part of north Southwark. It owned and operated Bankside ...
*
South Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company
The South Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was established in 1904 upon the amalgamation of two south London companies which had supplied electricity in south east London since 1893. I ...
*
South London Electric Supply Corporation
The South London Electric Supply Corporation Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was established in 1896 to supply electricity to the parish/borough of Lambeth in south London. The Corporation owned and operated a power station at Lo ...
References
{{Authority control
Defunct electric power companies of the United Kingdom
Electric power companies of England
Electric power infrastructure in England
Energy companies disestablished in 1948
Former power stations in London