It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.
Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 67 SE 206 |
|---|
| Type of record: | Monument |
|---|
| Name: | Gravesend Power Station |
|---|
Summary
Electricity generating station near Thames & Medway Canal basin built 1902-3. Further construction took place between 1906 and 1920. It became a research station in c.1970 and was finally demolished in March 2004.
| Grid Reference: | TQ 6575 7413 |
|---|
| Map Sheet: | TQ67SE |
|---|
| Parish: | GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT |
|---|
Monument Types
Full description
If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.
Gravesend Power Station TQ 6575 7413. Built 1902-3 by Gravesend Corporation, in use until 1970 when converted to CEGB research centre. Engine house still stands with offices to east, boiler houses stood to north, now demolished. A switch room was added to the south side of the engine room in c1920. All plant stripped out. Original fittings include overhead crane and switch room joinery (1).
Site photographs (2-11).
Established between1902 and 1903 to supply electricity for the local area, further construction work took place in 1906 and 1920. In 1920 a large switch room was added to the south of the engine house and further a extension and block were added between 1920 and 1938.
A 2003 survey confirmed the survival of several early important buildings, the engine house, accumulator room, pump room, workshop and also the outer wall of the destructor house. Other contemporary buildings (including the Chimney, the boiler house and the destructor house) had been demolished before or after the works was converted to a CEGB research station in c. 1970. Conversion resulted in the removal of generating equipment and probably some original fixtures and fittings. Laboratories and testing stations were installed (underground testing stations were incorporated beneath the engine room floor). The survey also examined the more modern outbuildings and sheds
Limited examination of basemented areas and underfloor testing holes revealed a depth of disturbance between 3.8-5m. The facility was closed in 1993 and scheduled for demolition in 1995. [12].
Desk based assessment. The powerstation was demolished in March 2004 [13].
<01> Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments in England, 1995, Power Stations Of The Lower Thames (Unpublished document). SWX6965.
<02> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9418.
<03> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9432.
<04> 1946, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX9469.
<05> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10016.
<06> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10048.
<07> 1944, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10071.
<08> 1942, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10073.
<09> 1941, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10116.
<10> 1940, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10127.
<11> 2000, Photograph (Photograph (Print)). SWX10287.
<12> Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit, 2004, Gravesend Power Station, Canal Road, Gravesend, Kent: Architectural and Historic Building Record (Unpublished document). SKE12514.
<13> Scott Wilson, The Embankment, Gravesend Archaeological Impact Assessment Sub-Phase 1 (Unpublished document). SKE12518.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <01> | Unpublished document: Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments in England. 1995. Power Stations Of The Lower Thames. |
| <02> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 3100. print. |
| <03> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4099. print. |
| <04> | Photograph (Print): 1946. Photograph. 4021. print. |
| <05> | Photograph (Print): 1944. Photograph. 4019. print. |
| <06> | Photograph (Print): 1944. Photograph. 4003. print. |
| <07> | Photograph (Print): 1944. Photograph. 4001. print. |
| <08> | Photograph (Print): 1942. Photograph. 5007. print. |
| <09> | Photograph (Print): 1941. Photograph. 2059. print. |
| <10> | Photograph (Print): 1940. Photograph. 1798. print. |
| <11> | Photograph (Print): 2000. Photograph. 194. print. |
| <12> | Unpublished document: Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit. 2004. Gravesend Power Station, Canal Road, Gravesend, Kent: Architectural and Historic Building Record. |
| <13> | Unpublished document: Scott Wilson. The Embankment, Gravesend Archaeological Impact Assessment Sub-Phase 1. |
