Description and History of Site:-

Mostly redeveloped into mixed commercial and leisure use. It is possible that elements of the original generating station are still extant.In April 1897, 'The Engineer' reported that:

"The fashionable Yorkshire watering-place, Harrogate, has just become possessed of its own electric supply station. The possible output of the station, which was opened on the 15th inst, is to be 275 kilowatts, generated by two 125-kilowatt Ferranti fly-wheel alternators, which are driven by McLaren compound engines and a 25-kilowatt alternator, also made by Ferranti, directly coupled to a Belliss engine. The latter machine, when completed, is intended for the day load. The most remarkable feature of the station says the 'Electrician', is its distance from the town and from the railway, owing to a municipal objection to chimneys. It is built on ground owned by the Corporation, 1 1/2 miles from the centre of the town. At present, slack bought from the gas works — which are owned by a private company — is used as fuel ; to obtain coal by rail it would at present have to be carted over two miles, but this distance will be reduced to about 1 1/2 miles when the North-Eastern Railway Company have built their new goods station, which has just been commenced. Sufficient water for condensing and feed purposes is obtained from a stream close by. The distribution is on the sub-station system, two concentric cables conveying the current from the station to the five sub-stations in the town, where it is transformed from 2000 to 2 x 100 volts, and distributed on the three-wire system by triple-concentric cables."

In 1900 (March 9th), 'The Engineer' reported in more detail about the installed plant: The engine was of the triple-expansion enclosed type, 600 horse-power, running at 333 rpm and directly coupled to a Siemens' W18/6 3/4 type alternator producing 150 amperes at 2000 to 2100 volts, 50 cycles AC. The machine would stand a 20 percent over-load if required.

While the station is known to have continued electricity generation into the 1920's, it seems likely that it closed at some time in the inter-war years due to the economies available through bulk purchase of electricity generated elsewhere. In particular, it remained inconveniently distant from any rail connection.

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Key Words :- electric lighting power station

Address :- Oakdale Place , Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 2LA
Grid Ref :- SE 2931 5616
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.000644 , Long -1.554352
Local Authority :- Harrogate Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site redeveloped to industrial / commercial use
Site Dates :- 1897 -
Contributor :- Nick Nelson - 17 May 2020

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