Lynton and Lynmouth Electric Light Co Ltd Nameplate

by Richard Brookes

Title

Lynton and Lynmouth Electric Light Co Ltd Nameplate

Artist

Richard Brookes

Medium

Photograph

Description

Old, weathered nameplate of the long gone Lynton & Lynmouth Electric Light Co. Ltd, one of the earliest public electricity suppliers in the UK. According to sources on the internet the operation was originally set up under the Devon Electric Light Company which opened the generating station in March 1890. Hydroelectric power was generated using water diverted by way of a leat from the East Lyn river to drive a turbine. In 1894 the business became owned by the Lynton & Lynmouth Electric Light Co. Ltd. A pumped storage system was added and utilised spare electricity generated in low demand times to pump water into a hilltop reservoir. At peak demand times water was fed back to drive additional turbines. It is thought this may have been the first such facility in the world used in the generation of electricity. Apparently the original cables were mostly lead sheathed underground in bitumen sealed wooden boxes. The infamous devastating floods of the night of the 15 August 1952 damaged operations. Part of the leat and access road was washed away and the station flooded cutting supplies for a while. Eventually it was replaced by standard supply off the National Grid. A nice semi-hidden reminder of past advances in technology in Victorian times. Noticed on an old metal cabinet embedded in a niche in a stone wall on a walk in Lynton, Exmoor National Park, Devon, SW England, UK. Presumably part of an old junction box of some sort.

Uploaded

October 17th, 2020

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Viewed 201 Times  -  Last Visitor from Wilmington, DE on 04/19/2024 at 4:27 PM

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