Agecroft Power Station
Encyclopedia
Agecroft Power Station refers to three now demolished coal-fired power stations
, which were situated between the eastern bank of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
and the western bank of the River Irwell
at Agecroft
, Pendlebury
, near Manchester
, North West England
.
, an ancient manor house
once occupied the site, it was dismantled by a new owner and shipped to Richmond, Virginia in the USA.
The first power station on the site, Agecroft A Power Station, was formally opened by Alderman G. Billington, the Mayor
of Salford
, on Wednesday 23 September 1925. The station used four 25,000 kilowatt (kW) turbo generator
s to produce a total generating capacity of 100,000 kW. It was operated by the Salford Corporation Electricity Department
. After nationalisation the station was operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board.
The station was then extended in the 1960s with the construction of a B station and a C station. Agecroft B and C power stations were officially opened in 1962 and the event was commemorated with a plaque.
Each of the stations used a 116 megawatt (MW) generating set, giving a total generation capacity of 232 MW. The stations used water from the canal and were cooled by four large natural draft
cooling towers situated close to the banks of the Irwell
. Three steam locomotive
s, built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
, were used to shunt coal wagons at the A Station. However, with the nationalisation of the UK's
electric supply industry
, the locomotive
s became almost entirely redundant as a conveyor belt
was constructed to carry coal directly across Agecroft Road (A6044) and into the station from Agecroft Colliery
. Despite this however, locomotives were still used to shunt wagons of coal to and from the colliery. The surplus of locomotives were sold in 1980s.
s had nested on the site. HM Prison Forest Bank
has since been built on the station's site.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
, which were situated between the eastern bank of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal is a disused canal in Greater Manchester, England, built to link Bolton and Bury with Manchester. The canal, when fully opened, was 15 miles 1 furlong long. It was accessed via a junction with the River Irwell in Salford...
and the western bank of the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
at Agecroft
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
, Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
, near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
History
Agecroft HallAgecroft Hall
Agecroft Hall is a Tudor-style estate currently on the James River in Virginia, United States, though originally built in Pendlebury, Lancashire, England in the late 15th century. It is now operated as a museum. It was the home of Lancashire's Langley and Dauntesey families before falling into...
, an ancient manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
once occupied the site, it was dismantled by a new owner and shipped to Richmond, Virginia in the USA.
The first power station on the site, Agecroft A Power Station, was formally opened by Alderman G. Billington, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, on Wednesday 23 September 1925. The station used four 25,000 kilowatt (kW) turbo generator
Turbo generator
A turbo generator is a turbine directly connected to an electric generator for the generation of electric power. Large steam powered turbo generators provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also used by steam powered turbo-electric ships.Smaller turbo-generators with gas turbines...
s to produce a total generating capacity of 100,000 kW. It was operated by the Salford Corporation Electricity Department
County Borough of Salford
Salford was, from 1844 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, coterminate with Salford. It was granted city status in 1926.-Free Borough and Police Commissioners:...
. After nationalisation the station was operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board.
The station was then extended in the 1960s with the construction of a B station and a C station. Agecroft B and C power stations were officially opened in 1962 and the event was commemorated with a plaque.
Operations
Stack effect
Stack effect is the movement of air into and out of buildings, chimneys, flue gas stacks, or other containers, and is driven by buoyancy. Buoyancy occurs due to a difference in indoor-to-outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences. The result is either a positive or...
cooling towers situated close to the banks of the Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
. Three steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd was a locomotive builder with works in North East England.-History:The company was formed in September 1937 when Robert Stephenson and Company, which was based in Darlington took over the locomotive building department of Hawthorn Leslie and Company, based in...
, were used to shunt coal wagons at the A Station. However, with the nationalisation of the UK's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electric supply industry
Electrical power industry
The electric power industry provides the production and delivery of electric energy, often known as power, or electricity, in sufficient quantities to areas that need electricity through a grid connection. The grid distributes electrical energy to customers...
, the locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s became almost entirely redundant as a conveyor belt
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt consists of two or more pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. One or both of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley...
was constructed to carry coal directly across Agecroft Road (A6044) and into the station from Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
. Despite this however, locomotives were still used to shunt wagons of coal to and from the colliery. The surplus of locomotives were sold in 1980s.
Closure and demolition
Agecroft Colliery was closed in March 1991 and the closure of the power station was announced in November 1992. The station closed in March 1993, and demolition commenced later that year. The cooling towers and two main stacks were demolished on the 8 May 1994. Their demolition was delayed because a pair of rare peregrine falconPeregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s had nested on the site. HM Prison Forest Bank
Forest Bank (HM Prison)
HM Prison Forest Bank is a Category B men's private prison, located in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury near Manchester, England. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.-History:...
has since been built on the station's site.
See also
- Central Electricity Generating Board
- Agecroft CollieryAgecroft CollieryAgecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
- Manchester, Bolton and Bury CanalManchester, Bolton and Bury CanalThe Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal is a disused canal in Greater Manchester, England, built to link Bolton and Bury with Manchester. The canal, when fully opened, was 15 miles 1 furlong long. It was accessed via a junction with the River Irwell in Salford...
- River IrwellRiver IrwellThe River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
External links
- YouTube – opening Agecroft Power Station 1925
- YouTube – agecroft Power Station operating in 1962
- YouTube – steeplejacks on Agecroft Power Station's chimney in 1982
- YouTube – demolition of Agecroft Power Station's cooling towers and chimneys in 1994
- YouTube – alternate view of cooling tower and chimney demolition
- Photograph – taken by photographer John Davies in 1982
- Photograph – the station's control room
- Photograph – the station's cooling towers
- Agecroft No. 2 locomotive – a locomotive which worked at the station
- Flickr - Agecroft's Last Day set on Flickr
