History of electricity - and gas - in Charlbury?

Mon 30 Oct 2017, 16:09 (last edited on Mon 30 Oct 2017, 17:09)

Thanks for that Claire very interesting indeed having had a quick read through. I definitely remember the ration books , I also remember the Black outs and wish I knew what happened to my gas mask unless they were recalled. I must join the library to borrow the book as find quite difficult to read from computer or mobile. Like going back in time thinking of how Charlbury was with all many shops and so on , wonderful.

Mon 30 Oct 2017, 12:06

I just came across this:

"The coal also fired the works of the Charlbury Gas Co., which were opened nearby on the other side of the track in 1869 and then, in 1906, taken over by the Mid-Oxon Gas Co. As a result, gas was used for most of the lighting in the town (streets, shops, churches, and many private homes) until the conversion of most of its street lighting to mains electricity in October 1929. By the time war again intervened ten years later, the process of converting private homes to mains electricity was also under way, and it accelerated after 1945."

From this very interesting webpage:
sites.google.com/site/evenlodebooks/short-history-of-charlbury

Mon 9 Oct 2017, 10:25

You could also contact Bannor in Chippy - we had one of their staff out a couple of years back and he told us about his own involvement in the work to bring electricity to Charlbury. Not the 1920s work mentioned below, but additional later work around the town centre. I can't recall his name (sorry) but he had photos of the work which he was keen to pass on.

Sat 7 Oct 2017, 17:19

The late Gordon Woodyatt who lived in Hundley Way would boast that in the 1930s he electrified the Chipping Norton area including the Swinbrook home of the Mitford sisters, while employed by "the Wessex", later the SEB. There was a standard charge for the installation of a meter, one plug socket and two electric lights for each house. Much more information in the museum's folder on utilities, which can be seen by appointment during the winter closure.

Thu 5 Oct 2017, 16:45

Malcolm
There was a Chronical artiicle about this a few years ago
Mostly about gas but the first electric street lights were in 1929
www.charlbury.info/chronicle/chronicle1206.pdf
I guess a look at the Town Council minutes would tell you the company

Wed 4 Oct 2017, 20:08

Try the museum Malcolm - our contact number is on the museum noticeboard. We have a lot of info on Charlbury's history, including our utilities.

Tue 3 Oct 2017, 16:06

There was a gas works near the station, where the buildings are now on the opposite side of the track. I don't know any dates though. I just had that info from someone who was doing their family tree and an ancestor had worked there.

Tue 3 Oct 2017, 14:31

I found no reference in either Charming Charlbury or the other book whose title just gone tip-of-tongue drat... for when electricity began arriving as a utility in the town. A photo of the rail station made mention of a gasworks, which for simple logistical reasons should surely be by the rail line. Any distributed electricity provision, aside from local house or farm generation, would have been the same. Millfield race wasn't going to turn a genny rotor that much!

A glance upwards in Thames Street, eg reveals some old cast metal boxes, electricity or phone assumeably. So how did services like electricity come to the area? When did Charlbury connect to the developing National Grid? Were there any local interconnectors before the NG? Where does one look for anything like this?