Spondon Power Station Cooling Towers
Originally built by the British Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Co Ltd to supply electricity to their works. Sold to the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Electric Power in 1922 who rebuilt and enlarged it during the 1920’s still supplying the works, and also providing some power for the National Grid which was created in 1926. The second Spondon power station known a Spondon H was built in 1959 at the side of the original (which became known as Spondon A). This was a combined heat and power station and provided steam and electricity to the works with excess electricity exported the National Grid. This allowed the life expired steam boilers in the works dating from 1918 to be dispensed with. When the CEGB proposed to close Spondon H in 1982 it was purchased and operated by the then current owner of the works, Celanese Acetate Limited. In 1995 the coal fired power station was closed down and replaced by the third Spondon Power Station, a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant. This still supplied steam and electricity to the works and excess electricity to the National Grid, and was fuelled using natural gas supplied by pipeline and alternatively sometimes by using diesel oil. The gas fired station continued to operate under a separate company called Derwent Co-Generation Ltd. from 1999 (later shortened to Derwent Cogen) until closed completely in 2012 concurrently with the works. This photo was taken from the site of the demolished house called Falcon's Nest which was where Nottingham Road became Derby Road on the border between Spondon and Borrowash.
This image was taken from the
This image was taken from the back garden of number 141 Derby road, the dogs name was Kim and she loved looking for rats which was what she was doing at the time.
I see that you say that
I see that you say that Spondon was sold to the Derby and Notts Electric power Company about 1929.
The correct date is 1922. The first offer was made in the August of that year by Balfour Beattie and the sale was completed by the end of December 1922.
My father, Harold Spencer,
My father, Harold Spencer, joined the Derby & Notts circa 1922. He worked firstly in Ilkeston and moved to Spondon shortly afterwards. The 1922 acquisition date seems to fit with that.
From old photos, the 'A' station was extended a number of times - as judged by the number of chimneys on the boiler-house. Also, the cooling towers do not appear on early photos.
Perhaps the most significant expansion was the construction of 'H' Station in the 1950s. This was a combined heat and power plant, supplying process heat to Celanese and generating electricity. As such it was for many years by far the most efficient power plant in the UK - over 60% from memory.