Information for record number MWA63:
Hams Hall Power Station

Summary The site of an electricity power station 1km south west of Lea Marston.
What Is It?  
Type: Power Station
Period: Unknown
Where Is It?  
Parish: Lea Marston
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 92
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A structure built in the 1920s on the site of Hams Hall. It was completed in three stages; 1927-9, 1949 and 1958. The main building is of brick, cubic of the Battersea type. There are 13 cooling towers. The complex contains some interesting early power generating machinery.
2 The cooling towers are now being demolished.
3 Hams Hall 'A' was built by Birmingham Corporation in 1929 and commissioned by the CEB. This had a 249 MW capacity with 30 and 50 MW sets. In 1942 Hams Hall 'B' was built and commissioned by the CEB with 330 MW capacity and 50 MW sets. The site had the highest thermal efficiency in the country in 1947. Combined these two sites made the largest concentration of generating plant in Europe at that time. The Hams Hill 'C' site was built in 1958 and commissioned by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). This had a 390 MW capacity.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Monuments Protection Programme: Electric Power Generation Step 1 Report
Author/originator: M. Trueman
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Buildings of England: Warwickshire
Author/originator: Pevsner N and Wedgwood A
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warwicks
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
Interior view of Hams Hall Power Station, Lea Marston
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
monument POWER STATION * A building or set of buildings and structures where power, especially electrical or mechanical, is generated. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument MACHINERY * Apparatus used for applying a mechanical force, or to perform a particular function. Use more specific type where known. back
monument COOLING TOWER * Wooden or ferro-concrete tower for cooling waste, hot water from a power station. The water cascades from the top of the tower to a pond in the bottom. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record