West Ham Power Station
Encyclopedia
West Ham Power Station was a coal-fired power station
on Bow Creek
(the tidal mouth of the River Lea) at Canning Town
, in east London
. It was often referred to informally as Canning Town Power Station.
in 1904, in part to supply the borough's tramways. It replaced an earlier startion built in 1898 at Abbey Mills. The station was extended several times between 1904 and 1930, making West Ham one of the largest municipal electricity suppliers in London.
The station was located off the long-demolished Tucker Street. It was damaged in a bombing raid in September 1940 during the Second World War
. The operating of the station was taken over by London Electricity Board
in 1947, who completed a new West Ham 'B' Power Station to the south of the original station in 1951. This had two prominent concrete cooling towers in place of the cooling ponds of the earlier station, and railway sidings linked to the North London Line
at Stephenson Street. Having been taken over by the CEGB
in the late 1950s, the B station was closed on 31 October 1983 with a generating capacity of 114 MW. It was subsequently demolished.
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...
on Bow Creek
Bow Creek
Bow Creek is a long tidal estuary of the River Lea and is part of the Bow Back Rivers. Below Bow Locks the creek forms the boundary between the London Boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets, in east London....
(the tidal mouth of the River Lea) at Canning Town
Canning Town
Canning Town is an area of east London, England. It is part of the London Borough of Newham and is situated in the area of the former London docks on the north side of the River Thames. It is the location of Rathbone Market...
, in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was often referred to informally as Canning Town Power Station.
History
The first power station at Canning Town was opened by West Ham Borough CouncilCounty Borough of West Ham
West Ham was a local government district in the extreme south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, although outside the County of London...
in 1904, in part to supply the borough's tramways. It replaced an earlier startion built in 1898 at Abbey Mills. The station was extended several times between 1904 and 1930, making West Ham one of the largest municipal electricity suppliers in London.
The station was located off the long-demolished Tucker Street. It was damaged in a bombing raid in September 1940 during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The operating of the station was taken over by London Electricity Board
London Electricity Board
The London Electricity Board was the public sector utility company responsible for electricity generation and electrical infrastructure maintenance in London prior to 1990. It was shortened to LEB in its green and blue logo, consisting of the three letters...
in 1947, who completed a new West Ham 'B' Power Station to the south of the original station in 1951. This had two prominent concrete cooling towers in place of the cooling ponds of the earlier station, and railway sidings linked to the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
at Stephenson Street. Having been taken over by the CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
in the late 1950s, the B station was closed on 31 October 1983 with a generating capacity of 114 MW. It was subsequently demolished.