Catalogue description LONDON ELECTRICITY BOARD (LEB)

This record is held by London Metropolitan Archives: City of London

Details of LMA/4278
Reference: LMA/4278
Title: LONDON ELECTRICITY BOARD (LEB)
Description:

This collection contains a wide variety of material including minute books, staff records, technical reports, engineers' log books, photographic and printed material (including newsletters, magazines and leaflets and booklets on electricity services) of the LEB (1948 - 1990) and LEB inherited material from a large number of undertakings operating in the pre-vesting period (1882 - 1948).

 

For detailed summaries of the records held in this collection see the introduction to LMA/4278/01 and for the LEB see the introduction to LMA/4278/02 in this catalogue.
Date: 1883 - 2003
Arrangement:

The records are arranged in two series:

 

LMA/4278/01 Pre-investing Undertakings containing records of electricity companies mainly prior to 1948

 

LMA/4278/02 Post-investing Undertaking London Electricity Board, containing records of the LEB after 1948.

 

Most additional records to the main deposit archived at London Metropolitan Archives have been given a number and letter file reference in order to insert them in the appropriate place in the catalogue. For example 'LMA/4278/01/570B'.
Related material:

For further records relating to the LEB at London Metropolitan Archives see:

 

- London County Council (reference LCC) records of electricity supply 1882 - 1942 (LCC/CL/HIG/01), London electricity minutes 1912 - 1928 (LCC/MIN) and the Special Advisory Committee on London Electricity Supply 1923 (LCC/PP/SLE).

 

- records of Greater London Council (reference GLC) relating to Dover Radial Route road work plans affecting the London Electricity Board (GLC/TD/PL/05).

 

- financial and administrative records of the London Electricity Consultative Council (1949 - 1990) (ACC/2802).

 

- records of London Hydraulic Power Company: General Hydraulic Power Company (B/GH/LH) held at London Metropolitan Archives.

 

For national records see the Electricity Council collection held at Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.
Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London, not available at The National Archives
Language: English
Creator:

London Electricity Board, 1948 - 1990
Physical description: 95.75 linear feet
Restrictions on use:

Copyright to these records rests with the Corporation of London
Access conditions:

MOST RECORDS ARE OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION, ALTHOUGH SOME LEB RECORD SERIES IN LMA/4278/02 ARE CLOSED FOR 50 YEARS

 

ACCESS TO CLOSED ITEMS ONLY BY WRITTEN AUTHORITY FROM THE SUCCESSORS OF LONDON ELECTRICITY PLC LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
Custodial history:

The records were originally held at the LEB's Head Office, New Broad Street, City of London. They were then transferred to Old Brompton Road Main Sub-station, Kensington, where they were still held in 1997 in very poor semi-derelict conditions. In 1998 the collection was removed to City Road Drawing Office Archive, London Electricity plc, Islington. 'Watts under London' (1999) by Ian Beament, Managing Director of London Electricity (see LMA/4278/02/149), proved to be the catalyst for the saving of this collection.
Selection and destruction information:

Some material, mainly duplicates and reports of Electricity organisations operating outside the London area, were not considered worthy of long-term preservation and have therefore not been retained
Subjects:
  • Electric power
  • Electric power stations
  • Electrical industry
  • Electricity
  • Electrical equipment
  • Electrical engineering
Administrative / biographical background:

The London Electricity Board (LEB) was responsible for the supply of electricity, and retail and development of electrical appliances to domestic customers and businesses in the London area from 1948 to 1990. Although the LEB's geographical area of 250 square miles was the smallest in the country, it was the most densely populated, having over 20,000 inhabitants per square mile (1950s). The Board had resulted from the nationalisation of electricity which had brought together a large number of undertakings that had developed in a piecemeal fashion since the 1880s.

 

For detailed histories of the LEB's predecessor undertakings see the introduction to LMA/4278/01 and for the LEB see the introduction to LMA/4278/02 in this catalogue.
Link to NRA Record:

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