English Electric Co., Stafford

Description:This photograph was taken looking south near to the West Coast Main Line and the Queensville Bridge at the English Electric Co.'s Lichfield Road Site in Stafford.

On the right are factory buildings used by the Turbine Generator Division and several have traces of war-time camouflage paint. In the centre is construction work on foundations for a large new manufacturing Bay for the Turbine Generator Division. The new Bay would extend east from the buildings on the right towards the Queensville Bridge and would later be known as ’68 Bay’. This large factory extension would include an adjoining five story office block. Due to the nature of the subsoil in this area there is a Pile Driver on the left which at the time of this photograph would be sinking around 300 by approximately 35 feet deep pilings in this location. Also in this picture are the foundations for stanchions which would later carry a large travelling crane around 50 feet from the ground with an 80 foot span and around 350 ton capacity, making it one of the largest of its type in the world. In the background is a view of the construction of a building later occupied by the Switchgear Division. In the foreground is a glimpse of railway lines which formed part of an internal transport system around the works and which had a connection to the nearby West Coast Main line.

The English Electric Co.'s Lichfield Road Site in Stafford was renowned for its electrical products including generators, transformers and switchgear.

This image is taken from a glass negative donated to the Staffordshire County Museum by Alstom Power, Lichfield Road, Stafford.

Additional information: Siemens Brothers purchased the land in 1901 and built the factory and offices which were ready to start production in 1903. In 1918 Siemens merged with several companies, including Dick, Kerr and Co., to become the English Electric Co. Two years later in 1920, The English Electric Co bought the Stafford Works. The English Electric Co merged with GEC (The General Electric Company) during 1968 and the Lichfield Road Site became part of GEC Power Engineering Ltd. On 22 March 1989 became part of GEC ALSTHOM, an Anglo French Joint Venture. On 22 June 1998 became part of ALSTOM with global HQ in Paris and on 2 November 2015 the Stafford Grid and Power Businesses became part of GE (General Electric, an American Company).