Type | Public limited |
---|---|
Industry | Electricity supply |
Founded | 12 December 1881 |
Defunct | 1 April 1948 |
Fate | Nationalisation |
Successor | Midland Electricity Board |
Headquarters | London (1915) |
Area served | Midlands |
Key people | See text |
Products | Electricity |
Revenue | See text |
The Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited was established in 1881 to build and operate an electric lighting installation in Leamington Spa and Birmingham, England. It was abolished upon nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.
The Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited was registered on 12 December 1881 to take over a concession for an electric lighting installation in Leamington Spa and Birmingham. [1]
The capacity of the generating plant in 1898 was 290 kW, with a maximum load of 127 kW on a low tension continuous current (DC) system. [1]
The total plant capacity was 524 kW in 1915. The generating plant comprised a Belliss engine coupled to an E. C. Company generator and 3 Robey compound condensing engines coupled to Chamberlain-Hookham generators. There was 12½ miles of mains supplying 520 customers. [2]
In the early 1920s the company abandoned the generation of electricity in favour of purchasing it in bulk. [3] In 1923 it purchased 907.627 MWh to supply a maximum load was 607 kW. The revenue was £18,532, the cost was £11,547 giving a surplus of £6,985. [3] There were 2,135 connections on the system. [3]
The total capital of the Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited was owned by the Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited (see section below) by 1926. [4]
In the late 1930s electricity was received and distributed through four sites: Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, South Warwickshire and Warwick. [5] There were 12,354 connections with a maximum load of 3,944 kW. Key operating data are shown in the table. [5]
Sub-station | Expenditure £ | Income £ | Electricity sold MWh |
---|---|---|---|
Kenilworth | 36,632 | 3,722 | 816 |
Leamington Spa | 187,658 | 43,553 | 3,442 |
South Warwickshire | 35,721 | 5,937 | 763 |
Warwick | 78,638 | 16,512 | 1,585 |
Total | 338,647 | 74,724 | 6,586 |
The directors were A. H. Beatty, William Shearer, and F. Thursfield; the Chief Engineer was Percy Olver (1898). [1]
Arthur Chamberlain and George Hookham (1915). [2]
Formerly | Tramways Light and Power Company Limited |
---|---|
Type | Public company |
Industry | Electricity supply |
Predecessor | Tramways Light and Power Company Limited |
Founded | 1921 |
Founder | George Balfour |
Defunct | 31 March 1948 |
Fate | Nationalisation |
Successor | British Electricity Authority |
Headquarters | London |
Key people | see directors |
Services | Electricity supply |
The Tramway Light and Power Company Limited was founded in 1912 by the engineer George Balfour with the aim of acquiring the entire share and loan capital of several tramway companies. [6] These included:
However, the company also acquired the capital and controlling interest of a number of electricity and power companies, these were:
The net profits of the Tramway company were:
Year | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 |
Net profit £ | 28,627 | 33,420 | 39,274 | 42,321 | 43,947 | 53,696 |
In 1921 the company’s power stations were at Warwick on the river Avon, Hinckley Leicestershire, and Ilkeston Derbyshire. [6]
In view of the changed scope of its acquisitions the Tramway Light and Power Company was renamed in 1921 as the Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited, the company’s office was 66 Queen Street London EC4. [6]
In 1921 it offered £750,000 of shares on the Stock Market. There was a further offer of £5 million in December 1932, and £6,500,000 of shares in March 1937. [6] [8] [7]
The net earnings of the company were: [7] [8]
Year | Net Earnings £ |
---|---|
1926 | 186,169 |
1927 | 250,031 |
1928 | 306,510 |
1929 | 349,209 |
1930 | 376,963 |
1931 | 402,139 |
1932 | 432,940 |
1933 | 466,347 |
1934 | 550,227 |
1935 | 628,100 |
1936 | 664,703 |
The directors of the company were: [6] [4] [7]
The Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited and the Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited were abolished in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalised the electricity supply industry. [9] The main distribution system was vested in the Midlands Electricity Board.
The company was one of five electricity undertakings that operated over large geographical areas. Its assets were divided between two or more Area Electricity Boards. [10] The five companies were:
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 power station on the south bank of the river Thames. The company provided and stimulated demand for electricity, increased its generating capacity, and competed and co-operated with other electricity undertakings in London. The company was dissolved on 1 April 1948 when the British electricity industry was nationalised.
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 the City of London. From 1925 it worked jointly with other companies as part of the London Power Company. The company was abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British electricity industry was nationalised, and its assets were transferred to the British Electricity Authority and the London Electricity Board. The Charing Cross Corporation's Bow power station continued in operation until 1969.
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. 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, power station at Barking. The company was abolished in March 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.
Llanelly power station, also known as North Dock power station, supplied electricity to the town of Llanelly and the surrounding area from 1910 to the late 1960s. The power station was owned and operated by a succession of companies, including the Llanelly and District Electric Supply Company Limited, prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station was redeveloped in the 1920s to meet the increased demand for electricity.
Warrington power station supplied electricity to the town of Warrington, Lancashire and the surrounding area from about 1900 to 1979. The power station was initially developed by the Warrington and District Electric Light and Power Company Limited, this was taken over by Warrington Corporation, which operated the power station prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. It was redeveloped several times to meet the increased demand for electricity.
Newbury power station supplied electricity to the town of Newbury, Berkshire and the surrounding area from 1905 to 1970. It was owned and operated by a succession of public and private organisations. It comprised, at various times, hydro-electric, gas engine and diesel engine powered plant with a maximum output capacity of 2.57 MW.
The Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company was an electricity generating and supply organisation that operated in the West Midlands and South Wales. It was established in 1903 and was dissolved as a consequence of the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.
Thanet power station, also known as St. Peter's power station, supplied electricity to the towns of Broadstairs and Margate and other locations on the Isle of Thanet, Kent, England from 1901 to 1964. The station was owned and operated by the Isle of Thanet Electric Supply Company Limited until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The coal-fired power station had an ultimate electricity generating capacity of 6 MW.
Ramsgate power station supplied electricity to the town of Ramsgate, Kent, England and the surrounding area from 1905 to 1958. The station was operated by the Ramsgate and District Electric Supply Company Limited until the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The coal-fired power station had a maximum electricity generating capacity of 2 MW.
Southport power station supplied electricity to the town of Southport and the surrounding area from 1894 to the late 1960s. The power station was built by the Southport Corporation which operated it up to the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. Birkdale power station was operated by the Birkdale District Electric Supply Company Limited and originally supplied Birkdale Urban District until the district was incorporated into the Borough of Southport in 1911.
The Electric Supply Corporation Limited was an electricity industry holding company that operated from 1897 until 1948. The corporation and its subsidiary companies generated and supplied electricity to towns and districts in Scotland and England.
Hinckley power station supplied electricity to the town of Hinckley and the wider Leicestershire area from 1913. It was operated by the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company Limited until nationalization of the British electricity supply industry in 1948. The power station continued operation until the early 1950s.
The Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in parts of the English midland counties of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1913 until the nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.
The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Company Limited provided electricity to consumers in the English midland counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Electricity was supplied by the company from 1904 until its abolition upon the nationalization of the electricity supply industry in 1948.
The North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company provided electricity to the northern suburbs of London and to parts of Hertfordshire and Essex. Supplies of electricity commenced in 1907 and continued until the company was abolished in 1948 when the British electricity supply industry was nationalized.
The North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority supplied electricity to an extensive area of North Wales and parts of Cheshire and Shropshire. As constituted in 1923 the Joint Authority transferred all its rights to distribution of electricity in the area to the North Wales Power Company. The authority was effectively the power company. Both the joint authority and the power company were abolished in 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.
The British Power and Light Corporation Limited, also known as the British Power & Light Corporation (1929) Limited was registered in 1929 to acquire a controlling interest in electricity undertakings in North Wales; East Suffolk; South Somerset; Trent Valley and High Peak; West Hampshire; and Ringwood, Hampshire. The corporation operated for 19 years and was abolished upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry in 1948.
The Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited was a UK electricity holding company which provided financing to electricity undertakings to enable them to start supplies of electricity. Its subsidiary companies were in south east England, Lincolnshire and south Scotland. It was registered on 8 June 1914 and was abolished upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948.
Christy Brothers and Company Limited was a UK electricity engineering company which provided equipment, staffing and management to a number of electricity undertakings, worked as subsidiary companies, in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Suffolk.