Edward Bayzand Ellington (2 August 1845 – 10 November 1914) was a British

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

engineer who pioneered the development of urban-scale hydraulic power distribution systems. Ellington was managing director of the Hydraulic Engineering Co of Chester and one of the founders of the

London Hydraulic Power Company The London Hydraulic Power Company was established in 1883 to install a hydraulic power network in London. This expanded to cover most of central London at its peak, before being replaced by electricity, with the final pump house closing in 1977. ...

. He invented the hydraulic balance lift (US: elevator) and the automatic injector

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, waterplug, or firecock (archaic) is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe and Asia since at least t ...

Early life

The second son of a warehouseman, Ellington was born in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, and studied at

Denmark Hill Denmark Hill is an area and road in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark. It is a sub-section of the western flank of the Norwood Ridge, centred on the long, curved Ruskin Park slope of the ridge. The road is part of the A215 which ...

Grammar School before being articled to the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwi ...

-based maritime engineering firm of John Penn in 1862. In 1869, he left Penn's company and London and entered into partnership with Bryan Johnson of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

; Johnson and Ellington specialised in hydraulic machinery. In 1871, they established the Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company. In 1875, the partnership converted to a limited company, the Hydraulic Engineering Co.

Hydraulic power

Two years later, in 1877, Ellington was engineer to the Hull Hydraulic Power Co., the first company to demonstrate the practicability of large-scale urban

hydraulic power network A hydraulic power network is a system of interconnected pipes carrying pressurized liquid used to transmit mechanical power from a power source, like a pump, to hydraulic equipment like lifts or motors. The system is analogous to an electrical gri ...

s, in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-eas ...

. In London in 1882, he was consulting engineer to the General Hydraulic Power Company of Southwark (incorporated 29 June), and, in 1884, helped form its subsidiary, the

, which merged the Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company and the General Hydraulic Power Company. This was followed by similar UK companies in Liverpool ( Liverpool Hydraulic Power Company, 1889), Manchester (

Manchester Hydraulic Power Manchester's Hydraulic Power system was a public hydraulic power network supplying energy across the city of Manchester via a system of high-pressure water pipes from three pumping stations from 1894 until 1972. The system, which provided a clea ...

, 1894) and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

(1895), plus Australian schemes in Melbourne (1889) and Sydney (1891). The emergence of electrical power during the 20th century meant hydraulic networks were gradually superseded; the Hull company was wound up in 1947 while the final London pumping station ceased operation in 1977. Late in his life Ellington was elected President of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 membe ...

. He died at his London home (73 Addison Road, Kensington) on 10 November 1914.

Family

Ellington married Marion Florence Leonard, and they had at least one child, a son,

Edward Ellington Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Leonard Ellington, (30 December 1877 – 13 June 1967) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force. He served in the First World War as a staff officer and then as director-general of military aeronaut ...

(born in Kensington in 1877), who became a senior figure in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) a ...

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellington, Edward B 1845 births 1914 deaths Hydraulic engineers