Take a trip down memory lane: The rise and fall of a Yorkshire landmark - and the end of an era for the three Ferrybridge power stations in Knottingley

With their huge cooling towers and chimneys, the power stations were quite the imposing sight for several decades among generations of West Yorkshire residents - and thousands of passing travellers each day - near the junction of the A1 and M62 motorways on the edge of the county near Pontefract.

The demolition at Ferrybridge Power Station C between 2019 and 2022 marked the end of an era.

Here is a potted history using information researched and compiled by Generations, a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and delivered by Faceless Arts in early 2017 with the people of Ferrybridge, which looked look at life in the shadow of one of the last coal fired power stations in the region.

The early beginnings at Ferrybridge

Ferrybridge power station was a series of three coal-fired power stations in Ferrybridge in Knottingley.

The land at Ferrybridge was purchased in 1917 by the Yorkshire Electric Power Company and plans for a power station were discussed and submitted a year later.

But due to a system change in 1919, plans for the structure were paused and resubmitted the following year. The construction process for Ferrybridge A power station started in 1926 and it became operational a year later in 1927.

The initial design covered 32 acres of its land and the building consisted of the boilers, turbines, offices, and a smaller building which accommodated the electrical switchgear.

There were railway sidings that connected to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) with equipment for handling wagons containing up to 20 tonnes of coal, and a river wharf for transport by barge.

Wagons were unloaded by a side tipper, into an automated weigher and then conveyors. Barge unloading was by a crane into the weighing machine.

The power source equipment consisted of eight 75,000 pound (34,000kg) per hour water boiling capacity water tube boilers structured in pairs. The purpose of the boilers was to produce superheated steam at 371C.

Despite station A being closed in October 1976, due to a change of ownership, Ferrybridge A’s boiler room and turbine hall still remain standing today and are used as offices and workshops.

Nationalisation

In 1947 when the UK’s power industry was nationalised, the station passed into the ownership of the British Electricity Authority.

This then became the Central Electricity Authority in 1954. When the station closed on October 25 1976, it had a generating capacity of 125MW.

Introduction of Ferrybridge B

Construction on Ferrybridge B Power Station began in 1955 and opened two years later.

It generated electricity using three 100MW generating sets which were commissioned between 1957 and 1959.

The station originally had a total generating capacity of 300MW but by the 1990s this was recorded as 285W.

After privatisation in 1989, the station was operated by PowerGen. The station closed in 1992 and was demolished in 1997.

Creation of Ferrybridge C

Construction began on Ferrybridge C in 1962. It was eventually commissioned in 1966 after the initial collapse, in 1965, of three cooling towers.

All three towers were rebuilt and the remaining five were strengthened in rehabilitation works carried out by Civil Consultants CS Allott and Son. Construction of all eight towers was completed in 1968.

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Ferrybridge C had four 500MW generating sets that were known as units one through four.

In addition to this, the plant originally had four gas turbines with a combined capacity of 68MW and these units were used to start the plant in the absence of an external power supply.

The final power plant closed in 2016, with 172 people losing their jobs.

The start of the demolition work in 2019, which was completed in 2022, was regarded as a landmark moment in the UK’s energy transition towards a low-carbon future.

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Ferrybridge multifuel 2011- present

In October 2011 SSE was granted Section 36 planning permission to construct a 68 MW Multifuel plant at its Ferrybridge C site.

Section 36 planning permissions are those that have been granted under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the construction or extension, and operation, of electricity generating stations.

The 68MW plant was designed to burn mixed fuel including biomass, fuel from waste and waste wood.

The plant became operational during 2015. and in 2019, a second multifuel plant – Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 (FM2) opened.

The future

Developers announced in February 2023 that they had submitted plans to Wakefield Council to develop the former coal yard site.

The proposed scheme, known as Mountpark Ferrybridge, will create a complex that includes six buildings ranging from 100,000 sq ft to 620,000 sq ft, which will be used by logistics companies and industrial businesses.

The plans by developer Mountpark Logistics include amenities such as roof terraces and high-quality landscaped areas for occupiers and their employees to enjoy.

The 1.64m sq ft industrial park development, if planning permission is granted, will be constructed on the former coal yard of the historic Ferrybridge Power Station C in Knottingley.

The development firm says the site will bring a construction investment of approximately £100 million and will create around 2,000 jobs across a range of sectors including warehouse operatives, heavy goods vehicle drivers, IT support teams, engineers, managers, administrators, accountants, as well as offering a range of training and apprenticeship opportunities.

The site is located within the vicinity of a large number of archaeological remains dating from the prehistoric to the modern periods but documents from the development firm says the “potential for any [archeology] to be be uncovered is considered to be low, due to our understanding of ground conditions within the site.