Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company

Formerly	Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Company
Company type	Public limited company
Industry	Energy: electricity generation and supply
Founded	1903
Defunct	31 March 1948
Fate	Dissolved by nationalisation
Successor	British Electricity Authority and Midlands Electricity Board
Headquarters	London
Area served	Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and South Wales
Key people	see text
Services	Electricity supply
Owner	Edmundsons Electricity Corporation

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.

History

Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Act 1903
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for incorporating and conferring powers on the Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Company.
Citation	3 Edw. 7. c. ccxxxvii
Dates
Royal assent	14 August 1903
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1905
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	5 Edw. 7. c. clx
Dates
Royal assent	4 August 1905
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1906
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	6 Edw. 7. c. clxxxv
Dates
Royal assent	4 August 1906
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1914
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. lxxxiv
Dates
Royal assent	31 July 1914
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1916
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	6 & 7 Geo. 5. c. li
Dates
Royal assent	23 August 1916
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1918
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. xliii
Dates
Royal assent	8 August 1918
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1919

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to empower the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company to raise additional capital and for other purposes.
Citation	9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. cxxi
Dates
Royal assent	23 December 1919
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1923
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company to make further provisions with reference to the separate undertaking of that Company and for other purposes.
Citation	13 & 14 Geo. 5. c. xcvi
Dates
Royal assent	2 August 1923
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1930
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to confer further powers upon the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company and for other purposes.
Citation	21 & 22 Geo. 5. c. clxxxix
Dates
Royal assent	1 August 1930
Other legislation
Repealed by	Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power (Consolidation) Act 1938
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Acts and Orders 1903 to 1933
Citation	1 & 2 Geo. 6. c. lviii
Dates
Royal assent	13 July 1938

The Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Company was established in 1903 under the terms of the Shropshire and Worcestershire Electric Power Act 1903 (3 Edw. 7. c. ccxxxvii). ^[1] Further acts were obtained; the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1905 (5 Edw. 7. c. clx), the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7. c. clxxxv), the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. lxxxiv), the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5. c. li), the Shropshire Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. 5. c. xliii) and the Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Act 1923 (13 & 14 Geo. 5. c. xcvi). The name was changed to include Staffordshire in 1905. The company's aim was to supply electrical energy to authorised undertakings and to others requiring a supply of power. Its area of supply included Shropshire, Worcestershire and part of Staffordshire. This was later extended by acquisitions to include Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. ^[2]

The company intended to build its own generating stations but initially purchased the existing stations of smaller electricity undertakings. These included the following (with the original owner, construction and purchase dates): ^{[3] [2]}

• Smethwick power station, Birmingham and Midland Tramways Limited, built 1904, purchased 1908, closed 1949
• Dudley power station, Dudley Corporation, built 1899, purchased 1914, closed late 1930s
• Kidderminster power station, Kidderminster and District Electric Lighting and Traction Company Limited, built 1898, purchased 1919, closed late 1920s
• Redditch power station, Redditch Urban District Council, built 1900, purchased 1924, closed early 1930s
• Hereford power station, Hereford Corporation, built 1899, purchased 1929, closed 1939

Stourport power station

During the First World War the two major undertakings in the Midlands, the Shropshire Company and the Birmingham Corporation, proposed to build two large power stations to meet their joint needs. These would be the 30 MW Nechells power stations and the 45 MW Stourport power station. However, the proposal failed on the question of financing. ^[4] The Shropshire Company eventually built Stourport power station which was commissioned in 1927. This enabled the smaller, less efficient, stations at Dudley, Kidderminster and Redditch to be closed. ^[2]

Developments in the 1930s

The Shropshire Company became part of the Edmundsons Electricity Corporation which by 1931 was itself part of the Greater London and Counties Trust. ^[4]

The Shropshire Company continued to purchase, or obtain a controlling interest in, further electricity undertakings and closed the power stations as a bulk supply was available from its network. These included the smaller power stations at: ^[2]

• Blockley power station, Blockley Electric Lighting and Manufacturing Company, built 1888, purchased 1931, closed ‘soon after’
• Church Stretton power station, Church Stretton Electric Supply Company Limited, built 1904, purchased 1929, closed ‘soon after’
• Fladbury power station, Fladbury Electric Light and Power Company Limited, built 1900, purchased 1925, closed 1925
• Ledbury power station, Ledbury Electric Supply Company Limited, built 1913, purchased 1930, closed 1930
• Ludlow power station, Ludlow Electric Light Company Limited, built 1906, purchased 1927, closed 1929
• Ross-on-Wye power station, Ross Electric Light and Power Company Limited, built 1902, purchased 1930s
• Tewkesbury power station, Tewkesbury Electric Light Company Limited, built 1909, purchased 1930s

In addition to the above towns the company supplied electricity to Bewdley, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Evesham, Halesowen and Oldbury. ^[5]

In 1937 the company purchased a majority shareholding in the South Wales Electric Power Company. ^[6]

Nationalisation

The Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company was abolished on 31 March 1948 under the terms of the Electricity Act 1947 which nationalised the British electricity supply industry. ^[7] The company's power stations and electricity transmission systems were vested in the British Electricity Authority. ^[8] The local distribution systems and the electricity sales functions were vested in the Midlands Electricity Board (MEB).

Key people

The chairmen of the company included:

• William Leonard Madgen 1921
• Emile Garcke 1923–30
• F. Massingberd Rogers 1930–33
• Sir Holberry Mensforth 1933–36
• Brigadier-General Wade H. Hayes 1936
• Sir Thomas Royden 1936–43

The directors of the company in 1921 were: ^[1]

• William Leonard Madgen (chairman and managing director)
• Clarence Shirreff Hilton
• Emile Garcke
• James Albert Lycett
• Brenchley Barrett Kingsford

The registered office was at 88 Kingsway, London.

Generating plant

Technical details of the Shropshire Company's power stations, and later constituent power stations, were as follows: ^[3]

Shropshire Electric Company power stations in 1923

Power station	Generating plant type	AC capacity, kW	DC capacity, kW	Maximum load, kW	Connected load, kW	Load factor %
Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company power stations
Dudley	Steam turbines and engines	2,000	900	21,730	61,239	25.8
Kidderminster		1,500	1,100
Smethwick		30,625	1,000
Future constituent power stations
Redditch	Steam turbines and engines	4,460	–	1,740	4,010	23.1
Church Stretton	Gas engine	–	100	50	333	23.2
Ledbury	Gas and oil engines	–	70	53	113	14.2
Ludlow	Gas engines and hydro	–	110	73	300	12.9
Ross-on-Wye	Steam engine and gas engine	–	90	69	274	13.2
Tewkesbury	Gas and oil engines	–	85	61	180	25.5

By 1946 the Shropshire Company operated only Stourport A power station. The details for 1946 were: ^[9]

• Generating capacity: 182.25 MW
• Electricity sold: 714,526 MWh
• Maximum load: 178,164 kW
• Load factor: 45.8%
• Thermal efficiency: 22.34%

Following nationalisation the British Electricity Authority built Stourport B station (1950–54).This had a generating capacity of 120 MW. ^[10]

Operations

The growth of the Shropshire Company's business is shown in the general trend of an increase in the amount of electricity sold and the connected load. ^{[1] [5] [9]}

Year	Electricity sold, MWh	Connected load, kW
1914	14,474	–
1915	20,798	–
1916	44,615	–
1917	55,678	–
1918	62,260	–
1919	33,273	45,326
1920	54,486	49,957
1921	54,496	58,557
1922	34,511	61,240
1923	37,563	68,967
1931	193,431	–
1936	234,900	–
1946	714,526	178,164

The combined electricity output from Dudley, Kidderminster and Smethwick power stations was used for the following purposes: ^[3]

Electricity use 1921–23

Electricity Use	Units	Year
		1921	1922	1923
Lighting and domestic	MWh	1,039	1,192	1,418
Public lighting	MWh	47	45	49
Traction	MWh	4,688	4,317	4,224
Power	MWh	42,124	22,780	29,243
Bulk supply	MWh	6,598	6,176	2,629
Total use	MWh	54,496	34,511	37,583

The amount of electricity generated and the revenue from sales in 1923 were as shown: ^[3]

Electricity generated and revenue 1923

Power station	Electricity generated, MWh	Revenue from sales  of electricity	Surplus of revenue over costs
Dudley, Kidderminster and Smethwick	49,211	£233,341	£10,375
Redditch	3,533	£23,637	£8,442
Church Stretton	101.7	£2,405	£1,547
Ledbury	66.3	£1,580	£470
Ludlow	82.7	£2,752	£1,295
Ross-on-Wye	80.1	£2,308	£281
Tewkesbury	114.2	£2,419	£488

See also

List of pre-nationalisation UK electric power companies

Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry

List of power stations in England

References

1. "Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company". The Times. 21 July 1921. p. 14.
2. "Electricity generating stations for public supply in the West Midlands 1888–1977" (PDF). 1978. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
3. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO.
4. Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 58, 228, 247. ISBN   0333220862.
5. "Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company". The Times. 16 June 1924. p. 19.
6. "Shropshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Electric Power Company". The Times. 13 April 1938.
7. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
8. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61, 69, 76. ISBN   085188105X.
9. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. p. 13.
10. Garrett, Frederick (1959). Garcke’s Manual of Electricity Supply vol. 56. London: Electrical Press. pp. A-98.