History of Electric Works - Why is it called that?

Do you think Electric Works N7 is an odd name for a flexible and coworking office space development in North London? There’s actually a very good reason why we chose that name.

Parallel to Hornsey Street, where we are based, runs Eden Grove, which was one of the earliest electricity generating stations in the city thanks to the Vestry of Islington having the foresight to establish its own power station. This was decades before nationalisation of the UK power grid took place in the 1940s, and local power stations at this time were privately owned or run by local municipalities. However, the history of electrical power in London goes back even further.

Timeline of Electric Works, Holloway

1820s: British scientist Michael Faraday establishes the fundamental principles of electricity generation, which are still used today.
1871: Zenobe Gramme of Belgium invents the first generator capable of producing electricity at scale, which was an essential step for industrial and commercial use to proceed.
1882: The Edison Electric Light Station builds the world’s first coal-fired power station at Holborn Viaduct. Although innovative, it was a commercial failure and the lamps it supplied were converted back to gas by 1886.
1883: The Electric Lighting Orders Confirmation (No.7) Act is passed by Parliament, which includes Islington.
1889: Alderman Beale installs a steam- driven power plant which supplied electricity to areas of Holloway. This is replaced within seven years as the commercial power plant is developed.
1893 An Electric Lighting Order is issued authorising Islington Metropolitan Borough Council Electricity to establish the means of generating electricity to light the streets.
1894: Eden Grove becomes the site of the Islington Vestry electricity supply service. The Electric Lighting Station (Central Station), Eden Grove, was designed by architect A. Hessell Tiltman with Mr Albert Gay, M. Inst. EE being responsible for the engineering. The building was constructed by Messrs MacFarlane of Holloway, and would have dominated the area with its 180 foot octagonal chimney shaft.
1896: The electricity supply service becomes operational. The power station opened in March 1896 with an initial capacity of 160 kW, supplying single phase AC power.
1906: New streets in the area were now built to be lit with electric light, rather than gas.
1907: The power plant is upgraded by Willans and Robinson and Dick, Kerr and Co, who install a turbo-alternator
1909: On Saturday 6th February, the Electric Theatre opened at 75 Upper Street Islington.
1912: A fire at the Eden Grove station disrupted electricity supplies temporarily, but with gas still commonly used for lighting, the impact of the fire was minimal.
1927: Eden Grove is now able to generate 26 MW of electricity from the same building. Upgrades and improvements in technology saw the power generation of the site increase by 160 times in only 31 years.
1936: With the electrical infrastructure now established, an electricity showroom was opened on the corner of Holloway Road and Camden Road. The public could now easily see and buy a variety of electrical products such as lamps and cookers, and the Hoover dusting tools and attachments for vacuum cleaners. The Hoover brand was so successful it became synonymous with vacuum cleaning.
1948: In April of this year, the responsibility for Eden Grove fell to the London Electricity Board after the Electricity Act of 1947 nationalised the nation’s electricity supply.

Following nationalisation, the offices and showrooms on the corner of Holloway and Camden Road became the London Electricity Board showrooms. Today, this is the site of a branch of Sports Direct.

Present day

Times have changed, but the spirit of innovation is still present on the same site. The area has been redeveloped for the 21st century by Stadium Investments and now houses a modern, flexible workspace, home, and leisure development, all designed by architect Piers Gough.

Studios Holloway was the original name for the office space, but has since been updated to Electric Works N7. This new name is a more fitting reminder of the technological heritage and forward-thinking which is the foundation of the next century, as well as the last.

Islington and Holloway have been areas of innovation and development for over 100 years, and Electric Works N7 aims to continue that legacy by supporting businesses that would benefit from flexible and coworking office space in North London. With a wide range of local area benefits it’s easy to see why Holloway and Islington are the best places to base your business.