Portsmouth's giant power station, picture special | Nostalgia

On Sunday, March 20, 1977, the Central Electricity Generating Board disconnected Portsmouth's contribution to the National Grid, ending 83 years of electricity generation.
One chimney. No! Not being demolished. A new extension to Portsmouth power station, Old Portsmouth, under construction in 1949. Picture: Simmons Aerofilms/Mike Nolan CollectionOne chimney. No! Not being demolished. A new extension to Portsmouth power station, Old Portsmouth, under construction in 1949. Picture: Simmons Aerofilms/Mike Nolan Collection
One chimney. No! Not being demolished. A new extension to Portsmouth power station, Old Portsmouth, under construction in 1949. Picture: Simmons Aerofilms/Mike Nolan Collection

It was at a meeting of the town council in November 1889 that the first steps towards generating electricity were taken with the appointment of a lighting committee.

So Portsmouth became the first municipal corporation to establish its own turbo-alternator generating system.

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To see more pictures of the building which dominated the city’s skyline long before The Spinnaker Tower, click here.

The  power station in Gunwharf Road, 1978. The News PP1271The  power station in Gunwharf Road, 1978. The News PP1271
The power station in Gunwharf Road, 1978. The News PP1271

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