London Hydraulic Power Company
The London Hydraulic Power Company was established in 1883 to install a hydraulic power network in London. This expanded to cover most of central London at its peak, before being replaced by electricity, with the final pump house closing in 1977.
History
Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company's Act 1871 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 13 July 1871 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
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Royal assent | 23 June 1884 |
London Hydraulic Power Act 1953 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 6 May 1953 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The company was set up by an
The system was used as a cleaner and more compact alternative to
Pumping stations
The pressure was maintained at a nominal 800 pounds per square inch (5.5 MPa) (55 BAR) by five hydraulic power stations, originally driven by coal-fired steam engines.[1] These were at:
- Falcon Wharf Pumping Station at Bankside, east of Blackfriars Bridge on the south bank of the River Thames (opened in 1883)[4]
- Kensington Court and Millbank (1887)[4] later (1911) replaced by a station in Grosvenor Road[5]
- Wapping Hydraulic Pumping Station (est. 1890),[4] using the defunct Tower Subway to carry pipes under the Thames (closed on 30 June 1977, the last to be used)[5]
- City Road Basin on the Regent's Canal in Islington (1893),[4] later used as the Marico furniture factory[5]
- Renforth Pump House (Rotherhithe, Canada Water) (opened in 1904),[4] now residential accommodation
Short-term storage was provided by hydraulic accumulators, which were large vertical pistons loaded with heavy weights.
Cross-River Thames mains
The mains crossed the River Thames via Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Southwark Bridge and via the Rotherhithe Tunnel as well as the Tower Subway.[6]
Decline
The system pumped 6.5 million gallons of water each week in 1893; this grew to 32 million gallons in 1933.
From about 1904, business began to decline as electric power became more popular. The company began to replace its steam engines with electric motors from 1923. At its peak, the network consisted of 180 miles (290 km) of pipes, and the total power output was about 7,000 horsepower (5.2 MW).
The system finally closed in June 1977. The company, as a UK
See also
References
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central railway station.[2]
- ^ a b c d "Hydraulic Power Company - article is adapted from a talk given in November 1979 by Mr Donnachie to the Lambeth and Southwark Archaeological Society". Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - .
- ^ a b c Emmerson, Andy. "Hydraulic power in London". Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9781291676891.
- ^ a b c Morgan, Roger (28 July 1977). "Watery Death of Electricity's Rival". New Scientist: 221–223.
- ^ "London's Hydraulic Power". Mike's Engineering Wonders: Vintage Pages from the 1930s. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Information, Reed Business (21 March 1985). "Mercury plugs into hydraulic ducts". New Scientist (1448): 7. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
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Further reading
- McNeil, Ian (1972). Hydraulic Power. Longman Group. ISBN 978-0-582-12797-5.
- Pugh, B. (1980). The Hydraulic Age. Mechanical Engineering Publications. ISBN 0-85298-447-2.