The electrical power industry in the United Kingdom was nationalised by the Electricity Act 1947, when over six hundred electric power companies were merged into twelve area boards.
List of companies
Companies merged into East Midlands Electricity Board (EMEB)
The board's area was defined as: Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland and parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
Local authority undertakings Ashbourne Urban District Council Bolsover Urban District Council Burton upon Trent Borough Corporation Chesterfield Borough Corporation Coventry County Borough Corporation Derby County Borough Corporation East Retford Borough Corporation Kettering Borough Corporation Leicester County Borough Corporation Lincoln County Borough Corporation Long Eaton Urban District Council Loughborough Borough Corporation Mansfield Borough Corporation Newark Borough Corporation Nottingham County Borough Corporation Nuneaton Borough Corporation Rugby Borough Corporation Sleaford Urban District Council Spalding Urban District Council Uttoxeter Urban District Council Worksop Borough Corporation
Private companies Boston and District Electric Supply Company (records from 1923) Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Company (records from 1901) Leicestershire and Warwickshire Electric Power Company (records from 1904) Melton Mowbray Electric Light Company (records from 1899) Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited (formed c.1881) Mid Lincolnshire Electric Supply Company Limited (records from 1936) Northampton Electric Light & Power Co Ltd (records from 1936) Oakham Gas and Electricity Company Limited (records from 1917) Rushden and District Electric Supply Company Limited (records from 1945) Tamworth District Electric Supply Company (records from 1930) Urban Electric Supply Company Wellingborough Electric Supply Company Limited (records from 1900) W.J. Furse and Company Limited (records from 1912)
Companies merged into Eastern Electricity Board (EEB)
The board's area was defined as: Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, the Isle of Ely, Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Middlesex, Oxfordshire and the Soke of Peterborough.
Local authority undertakings Aylesbury Borough Corporation Bedford Borough Corporation Clacton Urban District Council Colchester Borough Corporation East Dereham Urban District Council Felixstowe Urban District Council Finchley Borough Corporation Great Yarmouth County Borough Corporation Harwich Borough Corporation Hertford Borough Corporation Hitchin Urban District Council Hornsey Borough Corporation Ipswich County Borough Corporation King's Lynn Borough Corporation Lowestoft Borough Corporation Luton Borough Corporation Norwich County Borough Corporation (founded 1893 as Norwich Electricity Company; transferred to Electricity Committee of Norwich Corporation in 1902) Peterborough City Corporation Southend-on-Sea County Borough Corporation Thurrock Urban District Council Watford Borough Corporation
Private companies
Aldeburgh Electric Supply Company Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Electricity Company Brentwood District Electric Company Bungay Gas and Electricity Co Ltd (formed 1926) Cambridge Electric Supply Company Chesham Electric Light and Power Company Colne Valley Electric Supply Company East Anglian Electric Supply Company (incorporating Bury St Edmunds Corporation) East Suffolk Electricity Distribution Company Frinton-on-Sea & District Electric Light and Power Company Letchworth Electricity Limited Newmarket Electric Light Company North Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company ("Northmet") – based in Wood Green, N22 Northwood Electric Light and Power Company Welwyn Garden City Electricity Supply Company Wickford and District Electricity Supply Company Wisbech Electric Light and Power Company
Companies merged into London Electricity Board (LEB)
The board's area was defined as: The administrative County of London and parts of Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey.
Local authority undertakings Barking Borough Corporation Barnes Borough Corporation Battersea Borough Council Beckenham Borough Corporation Bermondsey Borough Council Bethnal Green Borough Council Bexley Borough Corporation Bromley Borough Corporation Dartford Borough Corporation East Ham County Borough Corporation Erith Borough Corporation Fulham Borough Council Hackney Borough Council Hammersmith Borough Council Hampstead Borough Council (1894) Ilford Borough Corporation Islington Borough Council Leyton Borough Corporation Poplar Borough Council St Marylebone Borough Council St Pancras Borough Council Shoreditch Borough Council Southwark Borough Council Stepney Borough Council Stoke Newington Borough Council Walthamstow Borough Corporation West Ham County Borough Corporation (West Ham Electricity Board) Willesden Borough Corporation Wimbledon Borough Corporation Woolwich Borough Council
Joint electricity authority Created under the provisions of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority – established in 1925. Upon nationalisation its assets were split between the South Eastern Electricity Board, the Eastern Electricity Board and the London Electricity Board.
Private companies Brompton and Kensington Electricity Supply Company – formed January 1889 as the House to House Electric Supply Company, changed its name August 1890, generating station at Richmond Road Brompton, part of the London Power Company Central Electric Supply Company, part of the London Power Company, wound up on 25 October 1932 Central London Electricity Limited (formerly Charing Cross Company) Charing Cross Electricity Supply Company – originated from a company called the Electric Supply Corporation Limited formed in 1889 with a capital of £100,000, this changed its name to the Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation, generating stations at Maiden Lane, Commercial Road Lambeth, Bow station, part of the London Power Company Chelsea Electricity Supply Company – formed 1886; generating station at Draycott Place / Cadogan Gardens and Flood Street; took over the Cadogan Electric Lighting Company (formed in March 1887 with a capital of £30,000, generating station at Manor Street near the Albert Bridge, went into liquidation in February 1891), Cadogan Company taken over by the New Cadogan and Belgravia Electric Supply Company (registered 30 June 1890), the latter company changed its name to St Luke's Chelsea Electric Lighting Company on 6 July 1892, in December 1892 the St Luke's Company purchased the assets of the Cadogan Company for £4,250 in cash and £4,500 in shares, assets transferred to the Chelsea Electric Supply Company for £10,250 on 5 April 1893, part of the London Power Company, taken over by Charing Cross Co 1937 Chislehurst Electric Supply Company City of London Electric Lighting Company – formed July 1891 from the Pioneer company, generating stations at Bankside and Wool Quay Member of the No. 1 group of undertakings. County of London Electric Supply Company – formed June 1891 with a capital of £100,000, generating stations at City Road Basin Regent's Canal, and Wandsworth; renamed the County of London and Brush Provincial Electric Lighting Company in 1894 Member of the No. 1 group of undertakings. Foots Cray Electricity Supply Company Hampstead Electric Supply Company Ltd (records from 1898) Kensington and Knightsbridge Electric Lighting Company – formed March 1888 with a capital of £250,000, took over the Kensington Court Electric Light Company (itself formed 1886 with capital of £10,000), generating stations at High Street Kensington and Cheval Place, Wood Lane Shepherds Bush (joint enterprise with Notting Hill Electric Lighting Company), part of the London Power Company London Associated Electricity Undertakings Limited formed in 1935 to acquire, combine and coordinate the electricity distribution interests of six west London electricity companies. London Electric Supply Corporation (LESCo) – formed in 1887 out of Grosvenor Gallery Electric Supply Corporation, London's first commercial electric power supplier, part of the London Power Company London Power Company Metropolitan Electric Supply Company – formed as South Metropolitan Electric Supply Company in November 1887 with capital of £250,000, 'South' dropped from title in July 1888, generating stations at Whitehall Court, Rathbone Place, Sardinia Street, Manchester Square, Amberley Road, Acton Lane Willesden, part of the London Power Company January 1927 Notting Hill Electric Lighting Company – formed February 1888 with a capital of £100,000, generating station at Bulmer Place and Wood Lane Shepherds Bush (joint venture with Kensington and Knightsbridge Electric Lighting Company), part of the London Power Company St James' and Pall Mall Electric Lighting Company – formed March 1888, began supplies April 1889 from a generating station in Mason's Yard Duke Street, this later converted to a sub-station for bulk supplies from Grove Road, part of the London Power Company South London Electric Supply Corporation – formed in December 1896 with a capital of £325,000, to supply the Borough of Lambeth. A generating station was built at Loughborough Junction, decommissioned in 1929 after which the Corporation took bulk supplies from other members of the No.1 group. South Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company – established in 1904 upon the amalgamation of the Crystal Palace District Electric Supply Company and the Blackheath and Greenwich District Electric Light Company. Built Blackwall Point power station. Member of the No. 1 group of undertakings. Westminster Electric Supply Corporation – formed June 1888 with a capital of £100,000, generating stations at Dacre Street Victoria, St John's Wharf Millbank, Eccleston Place and Davies Street, took over supply of Westminster Electrical Syndicate, part of the London Power Company
Companies merged into Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board (MANWEB)
The board's area was defined as: Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire and parts of Cardiganshire, Cheshire, Lancashire (including Liverpool) and Shropshire.
Local authority undertakings Aberystwyth Borough Corporation Bangor City Corporation Bethesda Urban District Council Birkenhead County Borough Corporation Caernarvon Borough Corporation Chester County Borough Corporation Colwyn Bay Borough Corporation Congleton Borough Corporation Connah's Quay Urban District Council Conway Borough Corporation Crewe Borough Corporation Dolgelly Urban District Council Formby Urban District Council Hawarden Rural District Council Holyhead Urban District Council Hoylake Urban District Council Liverpool County Borough Corporation Llandudno Urban District Council Llanfairfechan Urban District Council Llangollen Urban District Council Menai Bridge Urban District Council Mold Urban District Council Oswestry Borough Corporation Penmaenmawr Urban District Council Prestatyn Urban District Council Rhyl Urban District Council Ruthin Borough Corporation St Helens County Borough Corporation Southport County Borough Corporation Wallasey County Borough Corporation Warrington County Borough Corporation Wrexham Borough Corporation
Joint electricity authority Created under the provisions of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 North Wales and South Cheshire Joint Electricity Authority (records from 1923).
Private companies Borth and Ynyslas Electric Supply Company Electricity Distribution of North Wales and District Limited Machynlleth Electric Supply Company Mersey Power Company Mid-Cheshire Electricity Supply Company North Wales Power Company Towyn, Aberdovey and District Electricity Company Yale Electric Power Company
Companies merged into Midlands Electricity Board (MEB)