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Above: St. Aidan's Statue, Holy Island, Northumberland. Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

Prime Minister Tony Blair and The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson. Photo courtesy of The Northern Echo

 

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Timeline of North East History

ELECTRIC LIGHT YEARS 1878AD - 1899AD

By David Simpson

One of the most important developments in the history of modern life took place in the north - the use of electric light. The most important figure was the Sunderland-born Joseph Swan, inventor of the first practical light bulb, whose developments would result in the widespread use of electric light throughout the world. Newcastle was one of the first towns to be lit with electricity, Cragside in Northumberland one of the first houses to be lit and a light bulb factory at Benwell was the first in the world. The region was witnessing the birth of modern times.

1878 - SWAN DEVELOPS LAMP
(Tyneside)
Joseph Swan develops a successful electric lamp.

1878 - CRAGSIDE LIT BY ELECTRICITY
(Northumberland)
Sir William Armstrong installs a small hydro electric plant on his estate for generating electric light in his picture gallery at Cragside. Using lakes in the grounds, Cragside is the first house in the world to be lit by electricity generated from water power. The arc lights he uses are not yet suitable for mass production and are unlikely to replace gas lighting.

December 18, 1878 - SWAN DEMONSTRATES LAMP
(Newcastle)
Joseph Swan demonstrates his incandescent electric light bulb to an audience at the Newcastle Chemical Society, but it burns out after only a few minutes.

1879 January 19, - SWAN DEMONSTRATES LAMP AGAIN
(Sunderland)
Joseph Swan demonstrates his incandescent electric light bulb during a lecture to an audience at the Athenaeum in Fawcett Street, Sunderland.

December 1879 - EDISON DEMONSTRATES LAMPS
(United States)
American inventor Thomas Edison demonstrates an electric lamp similar to that pioneered by Joseph Swan.

1879 - US PRESIDENT VISITS SUNDERLAND
(Sunderland)
US President Ullyses Grants visits Sunderland and opens the Central Museum and Library.

1880 October 20, - SWAN REPLACES GAS WITH ELECTRICITY
(Newcastle)
Joseph Swan once again demonstrates his incandescent electric light bulb, this time at the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society. In front of an eminent audience, he has 70 gas jets turned down and their light immediately replaced by 20 electric bulbs.

1880 - SWAN LAMPS AT CRAGSIDE
(Northumberland)
Sir William Armstrong has installed Swan's light bulbs in his house at Cragside.

1880 - EDISON TAKES SWAN TO COURT
(England and America)
Thomas Edison has threatened to take Joseph Swan to court over an alleged infringement of patent in the development of a successful electrical light bulb, but it becomes clear that the two inventors have coincidentally made their developments at the same time.

1881 - BENWELL LAMPS
(Newcastle)
A company is formed at Benwell for the manufacture of Joseph Swan's newly-patented electric lamps. It is thought to be the world's first light bulb factory.

1883 - EDISON-SWAN FOUNDED
(Tyneside)
The Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company is formed. The American inventor Thomas Edison has teamed up with Tyneside industrialist Swan after at first accusing Swan of copyright infringement. Both men developed an electric light at around the same time.

1883 - NEWCASTLE ELECTRICAL WORKS
(Newcastle)
JH Holmes opens an electrical works at Portland Road Newcastle.

1883 - ARMSTRONG GIVES DENE TO CITY
(Newcastle)
Lord Armstrong has given Jesmond Dene to the new city of Newcastle. It was part of his town centre estate.

1884 - ELECTRICAL SWITCH
(Newcastle)
JH Holmes of Newcastle has manufactured the first quick break electrical switch.

1884 - FIRST STEAM TURBINE
(Tyneside)
Charles Algernon Parsons has patented the first steam turbine on Tyneside. Parsons, born in Ireland in 1854, is the youngest son of the Earl of Rosse and is a keen inventor. He currently works as a junior partner in the Tyneside firm of Clarke Chapman. T urbines allow wide-scale generation of electricity and Parsons will come to be known as “the man who invented the 20th Century”.

1884 - CRAGSIDE COMPLETE
(Northumberland)
Cragside House, with it vast estate near Rothbury has been completed by Norman Shaw for Lord Armstrong.

1889 - PARSONS OPENS HEATON WORKS
(Tyneside)
Parsons has opened his own works at Heaton for the manufacture of turbines.

1889 - LIGHT COMPANY REGISTERED
(Newcastle)
The Newcastle and District Electric Light Company has been registered.

1890 - FORTH BANKS POWER STATION
(Newcastle)
Newcastle’s Forth Banks Power Station has started work.

1894 - TURBINE COMPANY SET UP
(Tyneside)
The Marine Steam Turbine Company is set up by Charles Parsons at Wallsend.

1894 - ARMSTRONG BUYS BAMBURGH
(Northumberland)
Lord Armstrong has purchased Bamburgh Castle.

1897 - ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH WORKS
(Tyneside)
Armstrong's works become Armstrong Whitworth & Co. The company achieves prominence in the manufacture of arms.

1897 - TURBINIA DEMONSTRATION
(Spithead)
Parsons’ Turbinia vessel is demonstrated at the naval review at Spithead.

1898 - ELECTRICITY COMES TO TOWN
(The North)
Electric lighting is introduced to many towns in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. This year, electric lighting came to Middlesbrough. Electric trams are also beginning to replace horse drawn trams in North-East towns.

ELECTRIC LIGHT YEARS 1878AD - 1899AD

THE TIMELINE BY ERA

ROMAN PERIOD

ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

VIKING PERIOD

NORMAN PERIOD

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

TUDOR AND STUART PERIOD

GEORGIAN PERIOD

VICTORIAN PERIOD

TWENTIETH CENTURY

 

THE MILLENNIUM HISTORY OF NORTH EAST ENGLAND

by David Simpson

Published by leighton in association with The Northern Echo

ISBN 0-9536984-3-2

The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson is published by Leighton, The Teleport, Doxford International, Sunderland, SR3 3XD, Tel +44 (0) 191 5252400 Fax +44 (0) 520 1815 www.bepl.com. The book is a 322 page full colour hard back book covering the history of the region from Roman times to the present day. To order copies of the book you can e-mail Andrea.Murphy@bepl.com

Author David Simpson and Paul Callaghan, Managing Director of leighton at the book launch held at Lumley Castle, Durham December 1999

www.northeastengland.talktalk.net