Brunswick Wharf Power Station
Encyclopedia
Brunswick Wharf Power Station (also known as Blackwall Power Station) was a coal and oil-fired power station
on the River Thames
at Blackwall
in London. The station was built by Poplar Borough Council
for the British Electricity Authority
(BEA) after the Second World War
.
, itself originally the Brunswick Dock of the Blackwall Yard
shipyard. The site was controversial due to both potential air pollution in a densely populated part of London, and to the implications of further concentrating generating capacity in an area that had been a strategic target in The Blitz
.
The building was a monumental brick structure with fluted concrete chimneys, similar to Gilbert Scott's design for Battersea Power Station
. Its main building contractor was Peter Lind & Company
with Redpath Brown & Company supplying the steelwork, Tileman and Company building the reinforced concrete chimneys and Marples, Ridgeway and Partners being the main civil engineering contractors. Metropolitan-Vickers
supplied the six turbo-alternators and Clarke, Chapman & Company
and John Brown & Company
supplied the 11 boilers. A new 855 feet (260.6 m) concrete wharf with three Stothert & Pitt
luffing cranes was built to land coal brought by colliers.
The first phase of the station was supposed to be commissioned in 1948 but in fact did not start supplying electricity until 1952. The station was officially opened by BEA chairman Walter Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine
, in 1954 but was not completed until 1956. In 1957 the alternators wrere uprated to produce a total of 118 MW.
The station was originally coal fired but the BEA's successor, the Central Electricity Generating Board, had it converted to oil in 1970–71. The CEGB planned to enlarge the station but the 1973 oil crisis
increased the price of oil and the CEGB found it had surplus generating capacity. The CEGB therefore decommissioned the station in 1984 and sold it in 1987. The power station was demolished in 1988–89, with the exception of the switchgear house which survived until the 1990s but was later redeveloped.
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 the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Blackwall
Blackwall, London
Blackwall is an area of the East End of London, situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames.The district around Blackwall Stairs was known as Blackwall by at least the 14th century. This presumably derives from the colour of the river wall, constructed in...
in London. The station was built by Poplar Borough Council
Metropolitan Borough of Poplar
Poplar was a local government district in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was formed as a district of the Metropolis in 1855 and became a metropolitan borough in the County of London in 1900. It comprised the civil parishes of Bow, Bromley and Poplar until 1907, when it also became a...
for the British Electricity Authority
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority was established in 1948 with the nationalisation of the Great Britain's electricity supply industry. It was created by means of the Electricity Act 1947...
(BEA) after 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...
.
History
The station was built in stages between 1947 and 1956 on the site of the former East India Export DockEast India Docks
The East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin remains.-History:...
, itself originally the Brunswick Dock of the Blackwall Yard
Blackwall Yard
Blackwall Yard was a shipyard on the Thames at Blackwall, London, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987...
shipyard. The site was controversial due to both potential air pollution in a densely populated part of London, and to the implications of further concentrating generating capacity in an area that had been a strategic target in The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
The building was a monumental brick structure with fluted concrete chimneys, similar to Gilbert Scott's design for Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
. Its main building contractor was Peter Lind & Company
Peter Lind & Company
Peter Lind & Company is a private building contractor of Danish origin based in Central London with operating centres at Spalding in Lincolnshire & Barnsley Yorks.-History:The Company was founded by Peter Lind, a Danish engineer, in 1915....
with Redpath Brown & Company supplying the steelwork, Tileman and Company building the reinforced concrete chimneys and Marples, Ridgeway and Partners being the main civil engineering contractors. Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam...
supplied the six turbo-alternators and Clarke, Chapman & Company
Clarke Chapman
Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead, which was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The company was founded in 1864 in Gateshead by William Clarke...
and John Brown & Company
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
supplied the 11 boilers. A new 855 feet (260.6 m) concrete wharf with three Stothert & Pitt
Stothert & Pitt
Stothert & Pitt were a British engineering company founded in 1785 in Bath, England. They were the builders of a variety of engineering products ranging from Dock cranes to construction plant and household cast iron items. They went out of business in 1989...
luffing cranes was built to land coal brought by colliers.
The first phase of the station was supposed to be commissioned in 1948 but in fact did not start supplying electricity until 1952. The station was officially opened by BEA chairman Walter Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine
Walter Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine
Walter McLennan Citrine, 1st Baron Citrine, GBE, PC was a British trade unionist and politician....
, in 1954 but was not completed until 1956. In 1957 the alternators wrere uprated to produce a total of 118 MW.
The station was originally coal fired but the BEA's successor, the Central Electricity Generating Board, had it converted to oil in 1970–71. The CEGB planned to enlarge the station but the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
increased the price of oil and the CEGB found it had surplus generating capacity. The CEGB therefore decommissioned the station in 1984 and sold it in 1987. The power station was demolished in 1988–89, with the exception of the switchgear house which survived until the 1990s but was later redeveloped.