The discovery of electricity was a revolutionary step that changed the world in a way that no other invention could. Merseyside has been powered for over a century and the technology has undergone many improvements and changes. Learn more at liverpool-future.com.
Brief history of the discovery of electricity
It is inaccurate to talk about the invention of electricity because it is a part of nature, that is, it has always existed. Humanity just managed to notice it, study it and try to use it for our own purposes.
It is believed that the discoverer of electricity is Benjamin Franklin. In 1752, he proved the electrical nature of lightning. However, people noticed this phenomenon long before that and tried to understand and describe it. It is impossible to establish who did it first. We know for sure that the properties of amber combs were used by ancient Greeks to make more voluminous hairstyles.
In 1879, Thomas Edison invented a practical incandescent lamp. It was the first step in the commercialisation of electricity. Edison’s next task was to create an electrical system that could provide power for these lamps. The first power station was built in London in 1882. It produced electricity and supplied it to houses.
Interestingly, Japanese bamboo was used inside the first lamps. It served as filaments.
Electrification of Liverpool
Lister Drive power station was built in Liverpool in 1900. It was a whole series of generating stations, which provided electricity directly to the city and adjacent territories from 1900 to 1980.
Liverpool, which was powered decades before Bristol, Leeds or Manchester, had one of the leading places in the world of electrical engineering. The Liverpool Corporation Electric Lighting Act 1879 was the first piece of legislation directly related to electric lighting.
The Merseyside area was the place where many innovative ideas for the use of electricity were implemented. It preceded, and often by decades, other cities of England. One of such unusual projects is a suburban railway.
Merseyside as the cradle of the suburban lines revolution
Liverpool’s suburban railways were among the first objects to be electrified and the first lines in Great Britain to be converted from steam to electric. Thus, the line to Rock Ferry and Birkenhead was electrified in 1903. It is worth noting that before electrification, the Mersey Railway wasn’t very popular and was on the verge of bankruptcy, as passengers didn’t like the stifling atmosphere created by the steam trains in the tunnel under the river. Surely, the surrounding towns owe their direct connection with Liverpool only to the discovery of electricity!
The Merseyside Railway has pioneered the development of suburban rail infrastructure. One of the key steps was the introduction of special signals that were automatically triggered when a train passed. Those factors allowed the railway to provide a lively internal and intercity connection, the like of which wasn’t found anywhere in the country. Thus, Liverpool set new standards and the whole of England followed them. Electrification began in all major cities of the country. You can find out whether Liverpool used to have the underground here.
Further electrification
Electricity supply to Merseyside continued throughout the pre-war years. In 1926, almost all power transmission systems and isolated networks were linked into a single microgrid. The state management of electric networks was transferred to the Central Electricity Board. A single transmission system for electrification businesses, the National Grid, was created. It was one of the largest engineering structures developed in the UK.
It took some time to provide electricity to Liverpool and the surrounding areas. But by 1930, all newly built houses were already lit by electricity and its supply to old households was actively promoted.
Today
Nowadays, Liverpool is doing continuous work on improving the technology of electricity use, contributing to ecology and reducing the number of harmful emissions. These processes allow residents to use electrical energy as efficiently as possible with minimal environmental damage. The development of production, technology and revolutionary innovations make the future of the electrical industry in Liverpool and in the whole of England fascinating.
Undoubtedly, the discovery of electricity, like the invention of the telephone, had a positive impact on life in Liverpool. It not only changed the living standards of its residents but also contributed to the development of new technologies and industrial growth. Electricity has become an integral part of modern life, powering transport systems, businesses and people’s homes.
