Exeter Power Station
1901 Exeter Corporation decided that an extra generating station should be built, at the head of the canal basin, at Haven Banks. Boilers from Babcock & Wilcox, steam engines from Bellis & Morcom, and generating machinery from the British Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Co were installed. Local firm, Willey's were contracted to design and build the coal feed equipment and additional iron work. Cabling in stone lined conduits, from the power station throughout the city, was laid by Siemens Brothers of London. Coal was delivered by rail and ship, to be handled automatically through a gravity bucket conveyor system that fed it into 500 ton bunkers to be discharged onto the electrically driven mechanical stokers and into the furnace - the ash was automatically removed.
Alongside the four new, steam-driven alternators, the old boilers and generating equipment from the New North Road Station were installed.
1905 The new power station was opened
1927 the output from the Haven Banks power station was 4 MW
1930 Capacity was 15.35 MW.
1948 Nationalisation
1955 Haven Banks station closed.
The attractive former engine room, with its white glazed brick interior and ornamental balustrades, has survived, and is now used as the Quay Climbing Centre.
2010 Geograph photo of interior here.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Local Memories