Records of the Oakham Gas and Electricity Company Limited, 1917-1945

This detailed signed minute book records proceedings of the company's directors' meetings. Theminutes concentrate on management information such as coal prices and contracts, illicitappropriation of company funds, and shares and accounts. They also provide some insight into morepractical matters such as the sale of the company's horse and the connection of private residencesand businesses to electricity. The volume has a few items of correspondence received by the companypasted into it.

The gas works in Oakham, Rutland was constructed in Gas Street in 1840. In 1859, the works werepurchased by George Bower who in 1868 commenced the construction of a new gas works on land offBraunston Road. In 1874, Bower and others sold out to the Oakham Gas Company Limited. After failedattempts to obtain the contract for supplying gas for street lighting in the town, the company'stender was finally accepted in 1900. An Act of Parliament of 1923 permitted the company to supplyelectricity and its name changed to the Oakham Gas and Electricity Company Limited. The company'selectricity undertaking was vested in the East Midlands Electricity Board in 1948 and its gasundertaking in East Midlands Gas Board in 1949. Gas making ceased in Oakham in 1955 and onconversion to natural gas, the gasholders were demolished in 1972.

No archival arrangement of the collection has been necessary.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposesonly, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

This description is the only finding aid available for the minute book. Copyright in thedescription belongs to The University of Nottingham.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make published use of the minute book must be sought in advance inwriting from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department willtry to assist in identifying copyright owners but this is often difficult and the responsibility forcopyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the person wishing to publish.

LANGUAGE: English

The fate of the bulk of the company's archive is not known. The present collection consists onlyof minute books, apparently retained by East Midlands Electricity Board, and was given to TheUniversity of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in April 2000 byPowerGen.