Former Plas Power Colliery Power House

Cadw's description

Location

Located at the W end of the group of former Plas Power Colliery buildings now known as Southsea Industrial Estate.

History

Plas Power Colliery was established in 1875 by the Old Broughton Coal Company (later the Broughton and Plas Power Coal Company). Its directors in 1881 included three of the most important industrialists in Wales, Henry Robertson, W.H.Darby and C.E.Darby, who were also the owners of Brymbo Steelworks. The colliery was one of the largest and most modern in North Wales at the turn of the century, and at its peak employed 1,100 men, The steam coal produced was used in railways and shipping, notably supplying companies such as Cunard, P&O, the Great Western Railway, and the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. The colliery closed in 1938. The company was a pioneer in the use of electricity underground, and the generating station at Plas Power was built to supply the company's other collieries at Gatewen and Fron as well as Plas Power itself. Central colliery power stations of this kind evolved from single power houses at each mine, but were quickly replaced as commercial power stations became more common.

Exterior

The power house is a tall building of red brick with a hipped corrugated roof, three bays by three. The windows are round-headed with brick arches and stone sills. There are three each to the main floor on the W and E sides, and an additional doorway to a semi-basement level on the E. The N elevation has two arched windows and a central arched doorway, with a large circular opening above to carry power cables. Two windows on the S elevation have been replaced with large double doors for vehicular access, but another blocked circular cable window can be seen between them. The building has a deeply corbelled eaves cornice on all sides, and a pronounced corbelled string course between eaves and window heads. Many metal brackets survive around the exterior of the building; these held insulators and cables.

Reason for designation

Listed as a rare example of a central colliery power station, and for group value with other buildings of the former Plas Power Colliery.