Description and History of Site:-

Modern hydroelectric scheme using two archimedean screws generating up to 0.5 MWh per year.The first hydro-electric scheme at Linton Falls was set up by the Grassington Electric Supply Company Ltd.(GESCL) in June 1909 to provide an electricity supply to the local area. It was inaugurated on October 15th 1909, and formally opened a few days later. The scheme utilised water impounded by the upper weir of Linton Mill (WYK00292), which had been in existence since before 1852. The first power house was of rather basic construction and fitted with a Gordon water turbine and 20KW generator.

The scheme was described in some detail by the 'Electrical Review' of November the 19th 1909; "... From an electrical point of view, the plant would be uninteresting but for the fact that it is such a small one and for a public supply undertaking. The prime mover consists of a 26-in. vertical shaft Samson water turbine, capable of developing 30.9 BHP under a working head of 8 ft. of water. The turbine is of the mixed flow type, and with an 8 ft. fall will pass 2,623 cu. ft. of water per minute and run at 175 R.P.M . It is a standard machine of its type, having buckets of heavy flanged mild steel. The centre boss and ring is of cast-iron, keyed to a heavy steel vertical shaft. The guide casing and discharge cylinder is of cast-iron, with all flanges and joints machined and bolted together. The shaft of the turbine is extended with a length of steel shafting 3 in. dia., on the top of which is a cast-iron wheel fitted with beech cogs and gearing on to a horizontal shaft arranged to run at 250 R.P.M. The spindle for gate gearing is also extended and carried forward into the power house. Mounted on the horizontal shaft is a cast-iron belt pulley which drives the generator by means of a 6-in. cotton woven belt. The horizontal and vertical shaft bearings are provided with sight feed lubricators, thus enabling the whole plant to run long periods without attention. The dynamo is of open protected multiple compound-wound type, direct-current, capable of giving an output of 20 KW. at 1,000 R.P.M. and is fitted with commutating poles. The pressure of supply at the consumers terminals is 230 volts. The switchboard calls for little remark; it is built up on enamelled slate mounted on teak battens and provided with the following :—Everett, Edgcumbe voltmeter and ammeter, voltmeter key, lamp bracket, D.P. main switch and fuses, and shunt regulator.

The power house consists of a wooden building with corrugated iron roof, the whole being securely bolted down to foundations. The principal dimensions are 20 ft. long X 9 ft. wide and 7 ft. 6 in. high to eaves with a lean-to, built over the turbine pit to cover the gearing, 8 ft. X 8 ft. Immediately outside the power house at a point near the switch-board is the terminal pole carrying the main feeder cables, these being 19/15, single braided and compounded aerial cables. These are carried across the river and for a distance of approximately 600 yd. across fields and open country. The poles are the ordinary creosoted stock pattern 30 ft. long, except in one or two special cases, and provided with oak arms carrying insulators. At a point at the bottom of the village these cables terminate at a distribution board consisting of slate panels mounted on teak battens and fitted with bus-bars, S.P. knife switches and D.P. porcelain handle replacement type fuses to control distribution mains. This board is fitted inside a weatherproof cupboard, on the pole, about 10 ft. from the ground. The distribution mains from this point consist of 7/14 aerial cables of the same class as the others, and are run, as far as possible, at the back of the houses, so as to be out of sight. Advantage has been taken of the opportunity of using bracket supports on chimneys to do away with poles, where convenient. From the foregoing it will be seen that the whole distribution system is arranged overhead, and the services will he taken off at the nearest and most convenient points.

The price for lighting is 5d. per unit, and Reason electrolytic meters are used. Power rates for heating, small motors, &c., will be specially arranged between the company and the consumers, as they will be very few. It will be noticed that the plant is of the simplest description throughout, this being necessary for many reasons. In the first place, capital cost had to be kept down to a minimum, and the plant had to be made as simple as possible, not only to reduce wear and tear, but to enable it to be left for long periods without attention; it had to be so designed, and of such a nature, that it will not be necessary for an engineer to be in constant attendance, as it will be readily understood that the revenue accruing from a station of this size will not warrant a large wage bill.

Apart from a guarantee which the engineer has given, Mr. Pullan will act as electrical and general adviser to the company. It is to be hoped that this electricity scheme will be the forerunner of many similar ones utilising streams and rivers in this country with low falls. The water turbine and gearing were supplied by Messrs. James Gordon & Co., of London; the generator by the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Co., Ltd., of Bradford ; the cables by the British Insulated & Helsby Cables, Ltd of Prescot, and the switchboards by the Midland Manufacturing Co., Ltd., of Birmingham."

There were difficulties with the reliability of supply, for a while supplies were bought from Linton Mill itself, which had its own turbine and generator installed in 1912. An oil engine was purchased as a back up power source. GESCL went into liquidation in 1921, and were bought out by the Linton Mill company, a new company formed (The Craven Hydro-electric Supply Company Ltd.) and new generating plant installed at both the upper weir and Mill. The new company provided power until 1948 and the arrival of the National Grid.

The scheme was resurrected in 2011 with the construction of a new hydroelectric power installation on the site of the derelict powerhouse. Two new Archimedean screw turbines were installed by supplier Spaans Babcock in July 2011 and the project officially opened in December 2011.

Further Reading and References:-

"The Electrical Review", Vol 65, No. 1,669, 19th November 1909, p837.

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Key Words :- Hydro-electric power generation

Address :- Linton Falls, Grassington, Skipton, West Yorkshire, BD23 6BQ
Grid Ref :- SD 99920 63481
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.067268 , Long -2.002715
Local Authority :- City of Bradford
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Scheduled Ancient Monument SAM
Historic England List No - 1020895,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1909 -
Contributor :- Nick Nelson - 19 August 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Nick Nelson