South London Electric Supply Corporation

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South London Electric Supply Corporation
Company typePublic limited company
IndustryEnergy: Electricity supply
PredecessorLambeth Vestry
Founded4 December 1896
Defunct31 March 1948
FateNationalisation
SuccessorBritish Electricity Authority and London Electricity Board
Headquarters
London
Area served
Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth
ServicesElectricity supply
Revenue£355,529 (1936)

The South London Electric Supply Corporation Limited was a British electricity undertaking. It was established in 1896 to supply electricity to the parish/borough of Lambeth in south London. The Corporation owned and operated a power station at Loughborough Junction. From 1925 it formed an association with three other London companies to centralise electricity generation in the new, high thermal efficiency, power station at Barking. The South London Electric Corporation was abolished in March 1948 upon the nationalisation of the British electricity supply industry.

Background[edit]

The South London Electric Supply Corporation Limited was registered on 4 December 1896 and took over the electricity supply interests of the Lambeth Vestry (later the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth) in 1897.[1] The Vestry had been granted a Provisional Order by the Board of Trade to supply electricity to the parish of Lambeth in 1892. This was confirmed by Parliament in the Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No. 6) Act 1892. The supply area was all the Lambeth Vestry/Metropolitan Borough except small parts in the north and south and the detached part of the parish of Streatham.[2]

The corporation had an authorised capital of £325,000 comprising 65,000 shares of £5 each, there were 594 shareholders in 1898.[1] The Corporation built a power station in Bengeworth Road Loughborough Junction (51°27'59"N 0°05'48"W)[3] in the Borough of Lambeth together with a high voltage distribution cable network. Part of the agreement with the vestry was that the corporation would burn dustbin refuse receiving 11½d. per ton destroyed and would provide current for 25 street lights free of charge. Electricity supply started in November 1899.[1]

Operations[edit]

Management Board[edit]

The management board of the South London Electric Supply Corporation in 1898 comprised:[4]

  • G. Ellis
  • B. Fitch
  • E. Ironside Bax
  • Algenon Turnor
  • W. W. Phipps

The company offices were at Bengeworth Road, Loughborough Junction, London.[4]

Power station[edit]

In 1923 the plant at Loughborough Junction comprised:[5]

  • Boilers:
    • Coal fired boilers producing 130,000 lb/h (16.4 kg/s) of steam which supplied:
  • Generators:
    • 1 × 250 kW reciprocating engine, alternating current,
    • 1 × 500 kW reciprocating engine, alternating current,
    • 1 × 800 kW reciprocating engine, alternating current,
    • 1 × 900 kW reciprocating engine, alternating current,
    • 1 × 900 kW reciprocating engine, alternating current,
    • 1 × 1,500 kW turbo-alternator, alternating current,
    • 1 × 2,500 kW turbo-alternator, alternating current,

These machines had a total generating capacity of 7,350 kW.[6]

The power station had a single chimney.[7]

The electricity available to customers was:[5]

  • 2-phase AC 50 Hz, at 220 Volts
  • 1-phase AC 50 Hz, at 220 Volts.

Operational data[edit]

The following table summarises the growth of the Corporation in terms of capacity of the plant, the electricity load, the amount of current sold, and the number of customers.[2][4][8][9][10][11][12]

South London Corporation operating data, 1901–1936
Year Capacity of plant, kW Max load, kW Electricity generated, MWh Electricity sold, MWh No. customers Connected load, kW Load factor, per cent
1901 222
1902 1,093
1903 6,000 3,086 5,478 1,453 1,450 28.18
1904 1,786
1905 1,871
1906 2,110
1907 2,661
1908 3,250
1913 7,000 3,130 6,318 5,000 2,794 9,600 18.2
1919 7,000 5,102 7,699 7,565 4,365 17,050 16.9
1921 6,000 8,016 8,597 18,300 20.7
1922 6,448 8,036 8,931 19,700 19.6
1923 7,000 7,168 9,000 10,533 6,600 21,300 20.5
1931 0 0 33,904
1933 0 0 36,057
1934 0 0 41,944
1935 0 0 46,105
1936 0 22,717 0 55,810 33,474 79,126 31.8

The growth in sales of electricity in MWh is shown in the following graphs.

The dust destructor was decommissioned in 1900 as fumes caused a local nuisance.[2]  

Electricity use[edit]

Electricity was originally used for lighting but ‘power’ uses were soon established. The following table illustrates the changing patterns of use.[10][5][11][12]

End use of electricity, 1921–1936, MWh
Use, MWh Year
1921 1922 1923 1924 1931 1936
Public lighting 112 88 129 88 187 5955
Domestic supply 3,184 3,661 4,529 11,940 33,719 30,480
Power and heat 5,301 5,182 5,875 24,734
Traction 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bulk supply 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 8,597 8,931 10,533 12,028 33,904 55,810

Financial statistics[edit]

The capital required to establish, build and operate the business was raised through the offer of shares. Capital expenditure was needed for the purchase of land, buildings, machinery, mains, transformers, meters, electrical instruments, legal costs, fixtures and furniture at the stations.[1]

The South London Corporation current account revenue was as follows.[4]

The South London Corporation current account revenue, 1901–1908
Year Revenue from consumers Profits before interest
1901 £17,571 £1,691
1902 £20,445 £7,366
1903 £25,720 £18,936
1904 £29,230 £31,347
1905 £28,210 £30,134
1906 £28,934 £18,046
1907 £33,992 £15,040
1908 £36,500 £18,000


Share offers were made on several occasions throughout the operating life of the corporation. For example, in 1908 an issue of £100,000 five per cent shares were offered.[4]

The overall revenue, expenses and profit for the South London Electric Supply Corporation were as shown.[5][9][8]

South London Corporation current account revenue, 1913–1923
Year Revenue Expenditure Profit
1913 £48,880 £18,697 £26,633
1919 £92,271 £47,440 £40,709
1922 £127,182 £71,732 £60,162
1923 £154,910 £67,581 £92,352
1936 £355,529 £232,629 £122,900


To meet the requirement of increased demand, capital expenditure on new plant and equipment was required, as shown on the table below.[8][5]

South London Corporation capital expenditure, 1907–1919
Year 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
Capital expenditure £18,709 £10,070 £9,272 £17,030 £11,514 £20,065
Year 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Capital expenditure £13,169 £7,512 £5,555 £14,690 £8,665 £10,355


Dividends to shareholders were paid throughout the operational life of the company. Dividends as a percentage of the total capital raised in a given year were as shown, together with the average dividends paid by the London company electricity undertakings.[5]

South London Corporation shareholder dividends, 1900–1919
Year 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
Dividend % 0 0 1.75 3.00 4.38 4.13 3.27 3.89 5.0 5.0
Average Dividend % 4.60 5.29 5.55 5.51 5.79 5.65 5.40 5.14 5.12 5.07
Year 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Dividend % 5.0 5.0 5.36 5.42 5.15 5.07 5.07 5.07 5.07 5.69
Average Dividend % 5.07 5.11 5.18 5.33 5.10 4.87 4.68 5.32 4.96 5.76

Joint working[edit]

The South London Corporation and three other companies in south and east London promoted the London Electricity (No. 1) Act 1925 (14 & 15 Geo. 5. c. lxii). The four companies were: the City of London Electric Lighting Company; the County of London Electric Supply Company Limited; the South London Electric Supply Corporation Limited; and the South Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company Limited. They established a joint committee to specify how generating stations of each company were operated.[13] The companies remained district electricity supply undertakings; although they were physically joined with interconnecting cables. The companies envisaged that power stations such as Barking would provide enough capacity for their electricity requirements. The Act required equal consideration for the interests of shareholders and consumers. Dividends to shareholders were limited to 7 percent per year and the funds that could be carried forward in the accounts were restricted. Profits above these conditions formed a ‘consumers’ benefit’ in the form of lower prices.[13]

The County of London Company built the 118.75 MW Barking A power station which was commissioned in 1925. This was followed by the 303.5 MW Barking B commissioned from 1933.[14]

Under the terms of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 51)[15] the Central Electricity Board (CEB) was established.[16] The CEB identified high efficiency ‘selected’ power stations that would supply electricity most effectively. The CEB also constructed the national grid (1927–33) to connect power stations within a region.

These interconnections and those provided by the national grid enabled the bulk transfer of electricity. In 1929 the South London Corporation decommissioned the Bengeworth Road power station and purchased its electricity needs (38,593 MWh in 1931) from the Central Electricity Board).[11]  

Nationlisation[edit]

The British electricity supply industry was nationalised in 1948 under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 54).[17] The South London Electric Supply Corporation undertaking was abolished, ownership of bulk supply substations and transmission were vested in the British Electricity Authority, and subsequently the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB).[16] At the same time the electricity distribution and sales responsibilities of the South London Electric Supply Corporation electricity undertaking were transferred to the London Electricity Board (LEB).

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Garcke, Emile (1898). Manual of Electrical Undertakings 1898-99 vol. 3. London: P. S. King and Son London. pp. 313–15.
  2. ^ a b c London County Council (1905). London County Council London Statistics 1904–05 vol. XV. London: LCC. pp. 434–37.
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey 25-inch map London IX.6 Camberwell; Lambeth St Mary Revised 1913 published 1916
  4. ^ a b c d e "South London Electric Supply Corporation". The Times. 21 December 1908. p. 16.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 208–11, 478–83.
  6. ^ "Bengeworth power station". borough photos. February 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Bengeworth Road power station". February 2018.
  8. ^ a b c London County Council (1915). London Statistics 1913–14 vol. XXIV. London: LCC. pp. 546, 548–9, 554–557, 562–563.
  9. ^ a b London County Council (1922). London Statistics 1920–21 vol. XXVII. London: LCC. pp. 289 294–5, 302–7, 314–15.
  10. ^ a b London County Council (1926). London Statistics 1924–25 vol. XXX. London: LCC. pp. 298–99, 302–03.
  11. ^ a b c London County Council (1934). London Statistics 1932–33 vol. 37. London: LCC. pp. 348–349.
  12. ^ a b London County Council (1939). London Statistics 1936–38 vol. 41. London: LCC. pp. 382–83, 386–87, 392–93.
  13. ^ a b Murray, S (2018). "Electrifying the City: Power and Profit at the City of London Electric Lighting Company Limited". The London Journal. 43 (1): 72–91. doi:10.1080/03058034.2017.1357939. S2CID 158884197.
  14. ^ "London's Power Stations". metadyne. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  16. ^ a b Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 45, 60, 69, 73. ISBN 085188105X.
  17. ^ "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
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