Urban Electric Supply Company Limited

The Urban Electric Supply Company Limited (UESCo) was a British electricity industry holding company that operated from 1898 until the nationalisation of the electricity supply industry in 1948. It controlled directly, or indirectly through its subsidiaries, electricity undertakings throughout Britain.

Urban Electric Supply Company Limited
TypePublic limited company
IndustryEnergy, Electricity supply
Founded1898
Defunct31 March 1948
FateAbolished by nationalisation
SuccessorBritish Electricity Authority, area electricity boards
HeadquartersLondon
Area served
Great Britain
Key people
see text
ServicesElectricity generation and supply
see table
OwnerEdmundsons Electricity Corporation
SubsidiariesCornwall Electric Power Company Limited, East Anglian Electric Supply Company Limited

History

The company was founded in 1898 for the purpose of obtaining parliamentary powers to operate electric light and tramway undertakings in England, Wales and Scotland.[1][2] By 1901 powers had been obtained to construct electricity systems in the following towns, given together with the projected cost of these works:[1]

Urban Electric Supply Company 1901, cost of works
Town Works cost £ Town Works cost £
Camborne and Redruth 35,000 Bishop Auckland 15,000
Glossop 27,000 Godalming 14,000
Twickenham 26,000 Newton Abbot 15,000
Hawick 16,000 Stamford 15,000
Grantham 17,000 Dartmouth 15,000
Berwick-on-Tweed 14,000 Weybridge 16,000

In addition to electric light supplies there were two electric tramways being developed: Camborne and Redruth (£40,000) and Glossop (£50,000).[1] The construction of all these systems was undertaken by Edmundsons Electricity Corporation Limited.

The Urban Electric Company raised capital in June 1901 by issuing £500,000 of shares.[1] Further capital was raised by the subsequent issue of shares: £650,000 in July 1905;[3] £640,000 in June 1923;[4] and £250,000 of £1 ordinary shares in 1930.[5]

In 1905 Bishop Auckland was no longer controlled by the company but the Caterham and Newbury undertakings had been added to the Urban Electric Supply Company's portfolio.[3]

In 1923 the company controlled the following undertakings, these were generally small scale, the installed generating capacity, electricity sold and operating surplus was:[6]

Urban Electric Supply Company, 1923, electricity generation, sales and operating surplus
Undertaking Generating plant kW Electricity  sold MWh Surplus revenue over expenses £
Berwick-upon-Tweed 470 423 5,085
Camborne ? 105 1,518
Caterham 180 216 5,018
Dartmouth and Kingswear 330 278 3,922 + 561
Glossop 425 702 6,964
Godalming 600 352 7,019
Grantham 670 532 8,125
Illogan – 32 -68
Newbury 672 546 6,556
Newton Abbot 520 526 7,192
Redruth – 164 1,029
Stamford 580 366 4,909
Walton and Weybridge – 981 9,142 + 6,119

In 1930 the capital raised by the issue of shares was used to acquire control of the following electricity undertakings:[5]

  • Bodmin Electric Light and Supply Company Limited
  • East Cornwall Electricity Supply Company Limited
  • Looe Electricity Company Limited
  • North Cornwall Ice and Cold Storage Company Limited (Padstow)
  • Wadebridge and District Electric Supply Company Limited
  • Liskeard Gas and Electricity Company Limited
  • Launceston and District Electric Supply Company Limited

Subsidiary companies

The Cornwall Electric Power Company Limited was a subsidiary company, which operated power stations at Hayle (8.80 MW in 1923, 32.5 MW in 1939) and Carn Brea (900 kW in 1923).[6][7]

In 1931 the world price of tin suffered a serious fall.[5] This had an impact on the Cornwall Electric Company which was dependent on tin mines for the bulk of its income. There was a drop of 4 GWh in electricity supply, which reduced the income from £9,250 to £7,500.[5]  

In 1934 the Urban Electric Supply Company acquired another subsidiary, the East Anglian Electric Supply Company Limited. The area supplied by the East Anglian company had an additional 134 miles of high voltage and 80 miles of low voltage distribution mains.[8][9]

Post-war operations

By 1946 the only generating station operated by the Urban Electric Supply Company was the Hawick undertaking, with an output of 1,888 MWh.[10] The Cornwall Electric Power Company Limited operated Hayle power station, output 142,868 MWh; and the East Anglian Electric Supply Company operated power stations at Cromer, output 62.9 MWh; and Southwold, output 392 kWh.[10]

Nationalisation

The Urban Electric Supply Company was abolished on 31 March 1948 under the terms of the Electricity Act 1947[11] which nationalised the British electricity supply industry. The company's power stations and electricity transmission systems were vested in the British Electricity Authority.[12] The local distribution systems and the electricity supply functions were vested in the various geographical electricity boards.

Financial

The net profit from the company's operations was:[3][4][8]

Urban Electric Supply Company profits 1902–34
Year Net profit £ Year Net profit £
1902 1,871 1918 59,920
1903 12,181 1919 55,604
1904 19,234 1920 86,685
1905 26,000 1921 95,562
1911 47,649 1922 122,006
1912 54,264 1930 154,273
1913 61,684 1931 151,819
1914 65,666 1932 105,693
1915 65,311 1933 106,005
1916 61,772 1934 104,333
1917 64,521

Key people

The board of directors in 1901 was:[1]

  • Francis Edward Gripper (Chairman)
  • Edmund Charrington
  • Herbert Brent Grotrian
  • William Page
  • John Cuthbert Wigham

Subsequent chairmen were:[3][8][13]

  • Edmund Charrington, 1905
  • Philip Debell Tuckett, 1921–1933
  • Sir Holberry Mensforth, 1935 (b. 1871, d. 1951)[14]
  • Wade Hampton Hayes, 1940 (b. 1879, d. 1956)[14]

See also

References
  1. "Urban Electric Supply Company Limited". The Times. 24 June 1901. p. 15.
  2. "Grace's guide to British Industrial History, Urban Electric Supply Co". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. "Urban Electric Supply Company Limited". The Times. 31 July 1905. p. 11.
  4. "Urban Electric Supply Company Limited". The Times. 4 June 1923. p. 18.
  5. "The Urban Electric Supply Company". The Times. 22 May 1931. p. 24.
  6. Electricity Commissioners (1925). Electricity Supply – 1920–23. London: HMSO. pp. 212–215, 496–501.
  7. "Western Power Electricity Historical Society". Western Power Electricity Historical Society. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  8. "Urban Electric Supply Company Limited". The Times. 17 May 1935. p. 24.
  9. Electricity Commissioners (1936). Sixteenth Annual Report April 1935 to March 1936. London: HMSO. p. 42.
  10. Electricity Commissioners (1947). Generation of Electricity in Great Britain year ended 31 December 1946. London: HMSO. pp. 7, 8, 14.
  11. "Electricity Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  12. Electricity Council (1987). Electricity supply in the United Kingdom: a Chronology. London: Electricity Council. pp. 60–61, 69, 76. ISBN 085188105X.
  13. "Urban Electric Supply Company Limited". The Times. 23 April 1921. p. 17.
  14. Who was who
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