Admin History | The gas works in Oakham, Rutland was constructed in Gas Street in 1840. In 1859, the works were purchased by George Bower who in 1868 commenced the construction of a new gas works on land off Braunston Road. In 1874, Bower and others sold out to the Oakham Gas Company Limited. After failed attempts to obtain the contract for supplying gas for street lighting in the town, the company's tender was finally accepted in 1900. An Act of Parliament of 1923 permitted the company to supply electricity and its name changed to the Oakham Gas and Electricity Company Limited. The company's electricity undertaking was vested in the East Midlands Electricity Board in 1948 and its gas undertaking in East Midlands Gas Board in 1949. Gas making ceased in Oakham in 1955 and on conversion to natural gas, the gasholders were demolished in 1972. |
Custodial History | The fate of the bulk of the company's archive is not known. The present collection consists only of minute books, apparently retained by East Midlands Electricity Board, and was given to The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in April 2000 by PowerGen. |