electric lighting station, Chester black plaque

This black commemorative plaque records: The electric lighting station lit the city streets, rows, shops and houses of Chester at 6d per unit in 1896. Owned by Chester Corporation, the building was designed by I. Matthews Jones. Three steam-driven generators provided direct current, saving reserve power to batteries. After consulting with the famous physicist, Lord Kelvin, the station was opened under Prof. Kennedy, and later run by the city electrical engineers F. Thursfield (until 1904) and S. E Britton (until 1946). Electricity was in heavy demand so that the station was soon enlarged and, in 1913, linked to the new hydro-electric power station by the old Dee Bridge. By 1923 Queensferry Power Station took over electric supply with converters at this station. The front of the building was saved by the Canal Basin Forum and the people of Chester in 1999. It was renovated by George Wimpey North West Limited.

The electric lighting station in Chester, operational since 1896, marked a significant advancement in urban infrastructure by providing electricity to the city's streets, shops, and houses, thus modernizing Chester and enhancing its quality of life. The station's evolution from steam-driven generators to connections with hydro-electric power sources reflects broader technological progress in electrical supply systems during the early 20th century.