Stuart Street Power Station
Encyclopedia
Stuart Street Power Station was a coal-fired power station
situated at Bradford, Greater Manchester
in North West England
.
, Yates and Thom
, and the Electrical Co. Ltd. In 1904, two 6000 horsepower
marine triple-expansion engines driving flywheel
alternators
were installed. A turbine-driven generator was installed in 1907. Coal was supplied from Bradford Colliery
via a tunnel containing a conveyor belt. Ash from the boilers was taken away by rail and dumped in the nearby Clayton Vale
.
In 1920 the power station was, with Liverpool Docks, a target for an IRA plot involving its destruction. The plot was foiled when documents were captured and published.
The station was closed in 1975 and demolished in the late 1970s; the cooling towers were demolished in February 1978. The station was demolished by MJ Finnigan & Co. The area has been redeveloped and the site is now the location of the Manchester Velodrome
.
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...
situated at Bradford, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
in 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
The station was built in 1900, and was fitted with generating equipment from companies including Babcock and WilcoxBabcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
, Yates and Thom
Yates and Thom
Yates & Thom Ltd, or Yates of Blackburn, was a British manufacturer of stationary steam engines and boilers at the Canal Ironworks, Blackburn, Lancashire, England.The company had its origins in a blacksmith's shop started by William Yates in 1824....
, and the Electrical Co. Ltd. In 1904, two 6000 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
marine triple-expansion engines driving flywheel
Flywheel
A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia, and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed...
alternators
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
were installed. A turbine-driven generator was installed in 1907. Coal was supplied from Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery was a coal mine on the Central Manchester Coalfield in Bradford, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Although part of the Manchester Coalfield, the seams of the Bradford Coalfield correspond more closely to the Oldham Coalfield...
via a tunnel containing a conveyor belt. Ash from the boilers was taken away by rail and dumped in the nearby Clayton Vale
Clayton Vale
Clayton Vale is an area of green space in Clayton, Greater Manchester, through which the River Medlock flows. Redeveloped in 1986, the land has a rich industrial and social history. Today the area is a natural habitat for wildlife.-Natural history:...
.
In 1920 the power station was, with Liverpool Docks, a target for an IRA plot involving its destruction. The plot was foiled when documents were captured and published.
The station was closed in 1975 and demolished in the late 1970s; the cooling towers were demolished in February 1978. The station was demolished by MJ Finnigan & Co. The area has been redeveloped and the site is now the location of the Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
.
External links
- Photograph – the station seen from the Ashton CanalAshton CanalThe Ashton Canal is a canal built in Greater Manchester in North West England.-Route:The Ashton leaves the Rochdale Canal at Ducie St. Junction in central Manchester, and climbs for through 18 locks, passing through Ancoats, Holt Town, Bradford-with-Beswick, Clayton, Openshaw, Droylsden,...
towpath - Photograph – the station's cooling towers
- Photograph – an internal view of the station
- Photograph – the station's control panel
- Photograph – an aerial view of the station in 1924