Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Company
Encyclopedia
The North Eastern Electric Supply Company (often abbreviated to NESCo) was responsible for the supply of electricity
to a large amount of North East England
, prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry with the Electricity Act 1947. The company was established as the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company (also abbreviated to NESCo) in 1889, but was renamed the North Eastern Electricity Supply company as it expanded to supply the North East region.
, North East England
, in 1889 by the industrialist John Theodore Merz
. The company was one of two to be established in the Newcastle area that year, with the Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company
(DisCo) being set up by Charles Algernon Parsons
. A line was roughly drawn down the city's Grainger Street, and NESCo supplied the area to the east, and DisCo to the west. NESCo opened their first power station in 1890, with the commissioning of the Pandon Dene Power Station
. Merz's son, Charles Hesterman Merz
worked at the Pandon Dene station and became the company's Chief Consultant Engineer. Charles Merz's design company, Merz & McLellan
, which he set up with William McLellan
, was responsible for much of NESCo's design work from 1898 onward. They were responsible for the design work of the pioneering Neptune Bank Power Station
, which opened in 1901, and was the first power station in the United Kingdom to generate three-phase
electric power distribution
, and the first to supply electricity for industrial purposes, rather than just lighting. This led to the rapid expansion of NESCo, and gave the Tyneside industries an advantage over those in other areas. For the thirty years following the opening of the Neptune Bank station, NESCo became one of the leading companies in the world in power station development.
The company opened Carville Power Station
in 1903 to supply power for the Tyneside Electrics
. In 1905, NESCo expanded its territory by taking over the Walker and Wallsend Union Gas Company Following a series of parliamentary battles with DisCo, extended its supply and distribution area south of the River Tyne
, and they opened Dunston Power Station
in this new territory in 1910. By 1914, the company had expanded this area further with the absorption of the County of Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company, the County of Durham Power Supply Company and the Houghton-le-Spring and District Electric Lighting Company. Carville B Power Station opened in 1916, the most economical power station in the world at the time of its opening. Following World War I
they expanded to take over the Cleveland and Durham Electric Power Company, the Northern Counties Electricity Supply Company, Durham County Electric Power Company, and Tees Power Station Company. They also took over the assets of the Durham Collieries Electric Power Company and the Hexham & District Supply Company following their liquidations. They opened the North Tees Power Station
in 1921, and Dunston B Power Station
in 1933.
In 1927, the company moved into their new headquarters at Carliol House in Newcastle's city centre. The building was designed by Robert Burns Dick. Carliol House Ltd. had been set up in 1924 to build and administer the building itself. It remained a separate company until 1974, beyond the nationalisation of the company.
The North Eastern Electric Supply Company was formed following the North Eastern Electric Supply 1932, which brought the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company and all its subsidiaries under one company. In June 1932 it acquired the Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company.
The British electricity industry was nationalised in 1948 following the Electricity Act 1947. The industry was reorganised by region and the British Electricity Authority (NESCo)
was set up for the North East region and was based upon the area covered by NESCo, but also included the areas covered by DisCo, the Askrigg and Reeth Supply Company and the Hawes Electric Lighting Company. The area covered stretched from York
up to the Scottish border. British Electricity Authority (NESCo) was later renamed the North Eastern Electricity Board.
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to a large amount of North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry with the Electricity Act 1947. The company was established as the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company (also abbreviated to NESCo) in 1889, but was renamed the North Eastern Electricity Supply company as it expanded to supply the North East region.
History
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Electric Supply Company was founded in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, in 1889 by the industrialist John Theodore Merz
John Theodore Merz
John Theodore Merz was a German British chemist, historian and industrialist. Merz was born in Manchester, England and educated at Göttingen, Heidelberg, and Bonn universities....
. The company was one of two to be established in the Newcastle area that year, with the Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company
Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company
The Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company was a pre-nationalisation, private electricity supply company, based in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. The company was set up in 1889 by Charles Algernon Parsons...
(DisCo) being set up by Charles Algernon Parsons
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence on the naval and electrical engineering fields...
. A line was roughly drawn down the city's Grainger Street, and NESCo supplied the area to the east, and DisCo to the west. NESCo opened their first power station in 1890, with the commissioning of the Pandon Dene Power Station
Pandon Dene Power Station
Pandon Dene Power Station was an early coal-fired power station situated on the Pandon Dene, to the east of Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:At the outset of their operations in 1889, the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Company were confined to operating within the eastern half of Newcastle...
. Merz's son, Charles Hesterman Merz
Charles Hesterman Merz
Charles Hesterman Merz was a British electrical engineer who pioneered the use of high-voltage three-phase AC power distribution in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.-Life:Merz was then...
worked at the Pandon Dene station and became the company's Chief Consultant Engineer. Charles Merz's design company, Merz & McLellan
Merz & McLellan
Merz and McLellan was a leading British electrical engineering consultancy based in Newcastle.-History:The firm was founded by Charles Merz and William McLellan in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1902 when McLellan joined Merz's existing firm established in 1899...
, which he set up with William McLellan
William McLellan
Colonel William McLellan CBE was a Scottish electrical engineer. Born in Palnackie, McLellan joined Charles Merz in 1902 to form the Merz & McLellan consulting partnership. In the 1920s, then Colonel McLellan, he designed the Galloway Hydros hydroelectric power scheme.-References:***...
, was responsible for much of NESCo's design work from 1898 onward. They were responsible for the design work of the pioneering Neptune Bank Power Station
Neptune Bank Power Station
Neptune Bank Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated on the River Tyne at Wallsend near Newcastle upon Tyne. Commissioned in 1901 by the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company, the station was the first in the world to provide electricity for purposes other than domestic and...
, which opened in 1901, and was the first power station in the United Kingdom to generate three-phase
Three-phase
In electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
electric power distribution
Electric power distribution
File:Electricity grid simple- North America.svg|thumb|380px|right|Simplified diagram of AC electricity distribution from generation stations to consumers...
, and the first to supply electricity for industrial purposes, rather than just lighting. This led to the rapid expansion of NESCo, and gave the Tyneside industries an advantage over those in other areas. For the thirty years following the opening of the Neptune Bank station, NESCo became one of the leading companies in the world in power station development.
The company opened Carville Power Station
Carville Power Station
Carville Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated in Wallsend near Newcastle upon Tyne, in North East England. Two power stations stood on the site over the years; Carville A Power Station, the first station on the site, and Carville B Power Station...
in 1903 to supply power for the Tyneside Electrics
Tyneside Electrics
The Tyneside Electrics refers to the suburban railways on Tyneside that were electrified by the North Eastern Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway. The North Tyneside loop was electrified from 1904 onwards and formed one of the earliest suburban electric networks, the South Tyneside...
. In 1905, NESCo expanded its territory by taking over the Walker and Wallsend Union Gas Company Following a series of parliamentary battles with DisCo, extended its supply and distribution area south of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, and they opened Dunston Power Station
Dunston Power Station
Dunston Power Station refers to a pair of adjacent coal-fired power stations in the North East of England, now demolished. They were built on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the western outskirts of Dunston in Gateshead. The two stations were built on a site which is now occupied by the...
in this new territory in 1910. By 1914, the company had expanded this area further with the absorption of the County of Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company, the County of Durham Power Supply Company and the Houghton-le-Spring and District Electric Lighting Company. Carville B Power Station opened in 1916, the most economical power station in the world at the time of its opening. Following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
they expanded to take over the Cleveland and Durham Electric Power Company, the Northern Counties Electricity Supply Company, Durham County Electric Power Company, and Tees Power Station Company. They also took over the assets of the Durham Collieries Electric Power Company and the Hexham & District Supply Company following their liquidations. They opened the North Tees Power Station
North Tees Power Station
North Tees Power Station refers to a series of three coal-fired power stations on the River Tees at Billingham in County Durham. Overall, they operated from 1921 until 1983, and the C station, the last on the site, was demolished in 1987...
in 1921, and Dunston B Power Station
Dunston Power Station
Dunston Power Station refers to a pair of adjacent coal-fired power stations in the North East of England, now demolished. They were built on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the western outskirts of Dunston in Gateshead. The two stations were built on a site which is now occupied by the...
in 1933.
In 1927, the company moved into their new headquarters at Carliol House in Newcastle's city centre. The building was designed by Robert Burns Dick. Carliol House Ltd. had been set up in 1924 to build and administer the building itself. It remained a separate company until 1974, beyond the nationalisation of the company.
The North Eastern Electric Supply Company was formed following the North Eastern Electric Supply 1932, which brought the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company and all its subsidiaries under one company. In June 1932 it acquired the Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company.
The British electricity industry was nationalised in 1948 following the Electricity Act 1947. The industry was reorganised by region and the British Electricity Authority (NESCo)
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947...
was set up for the North East region and was based upon the area covered by NESCo, but also included the areas covered by DisCo, the Askrigg and Reeth Supply Company and the Hawes Electric Lighting Company. The area covered stretched from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
up to the Scottish border. British Electricity Authority (NESCo) was later renamed the North Eastern Electricity Board.