Stepney Power Station (sometimes known as Limehouse Power Station) was a small

coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...

situated by the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

on the north side of

Narrow Street Narrow Street is a narrow road running parallel to the River Thames through the Limehouse area of east London, England. It used to be much narrower, and is the oldest part of Limehouse, with many buildings originating from the eighteenth century ...

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

History

Stepney Borough Council The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formation and boundaries The bo ...

began construction of the station at Blyth Wharf in 1907. A coaling jetty was built in 1923. The station supplied the boroughs of Stepney and

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

. New generating equipment was added as the demand for electricity increased. The generating capacity, maximum load, and electricity generated and sold was as follows: In 1923 the plant comprised one 1,500 kW, one 2,000 kW, two 5,000 kW, and one 10,000 kW turbo alternators, totalling 23,500 kW. The surplus of revenue over expenses in 1923 was £129,659. Following pollution problems from the original chimneys a single tall brick chimney was constructed in 1937, dominating the area. In 1956 it was reported that the first Brown-Riley coal pulveriser had been installed at Stepney power station and having been in operation for some time was working with satisfactory results. At this time the equipment comprised: 1 × 34 MW Fraser & Chalmers-GEC; 1 × 19 MW Escher-Wyss-Oerlikon; 1 × 6.25 MW Escher-Wyss-Brown-Bovery; and 2 × 12.5 MW Metro-Vickers turbo-alternators. During its final decade of operation the station comprised a single 34 MW generator.''CEGB Statistical Yearbook'' (various dates). CEGB, London. This was supplied with steam at a range of pressures and temperatures: 180/350 psi (12.4/24.1 bar) at 299/399/460 °C. The steam capacity of the boilers was 753,000 lb/hr (94.9 kg/s). The boilers comprised 3 × Stirling; 3 × Spearling; and 2 × Babcock & Wilcox. Electricity output from Stepney power station was as follows.CEGB ''Annual Report and Accounts'', various years Stepney annual electricity output GWh.The station continued generation until 1972 and has since been demolished. The coaling jetty in the river remains.

References

External links

Historic image on Flickr. Stepney Power Station on the right.
{{London Powerstations Coal-fired power stations in England Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Former power stations in London Demolished power stations in the United Kingdom Power stations on the River Thames Port of London