Lemington Power Station - Closure and Present

Closure and Present

Production of electricity in the station ceased in 1919, ushered in by the completion of an extension to generating equipment at Newburn Steelworks. The building was retained and continued to be used to supply power to the tram route by housing a sub-station, which used rotary converters. The station also provided a service for local residents who wanted their wireless accumulators recharged. The station continued to operate in this way until 1946, when the tram route was closed. The station's chimney was demolished in 1949, along with remaining structures of the Tyne Iron Works, which had stood next to the power station throughout its operation.

The main turbine and boiler building is now a locally listed building, standing today as a monument to the important role that Tyne and Wear played in the development of electrical supply. The building had been considered for the more protected Listed Building status, but the decision was taken in May 2004 not to promote it. Other early power stations in the area (such as those at Dunston and Wallsend) have all been entirely demolished. The Lemington station is partly still standing due to riverside sites becoming less important to industrial development, leading to the site never being redeveloped.

The large remaining building currently stands in amongst a small industrial estate at the foot of the nearby Lemington Glass Cone. Along with the neighbouring Ironworks site, it is owned by Norland Construction, a crane and plant company formerly known as Reeds Cranes and Plant, the building used as storage for their machinary. The site is thought to be contaminated with coal products, fuels and oils such as PCBs, as well as dioxins and furans. In 2003, Newcastle City Council realsed plans that they hoped to redevelop the site for heritage tourism in the future.