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The first power station was built and operated by Lancaster Corporation.

The second power station was built during World War One, near the Lune Aqueduct, to provide electric power to a nearby munitions factory.

After the war, when the factory closed, the Lancaster Corporation purchased the second power station to provide electric power throughout the area.

The laying of electricity cables, Wennington Road, Wray, 1934. Picture courtesy of David Kenyon.

Unfortunately, this did not extend to the Lune Valley villages of Hornby and Wray.

This was likely due to the high cost of laying the cables.

This setback did not deter Captain W. Foster, the cousin of Mr Cyril Foster of Hornby Castle.

He offered to install the necessary equipment in order to supply Hornby and Wray with electricity.

A tea party around 1915 being held on the narrow strip of land between the mill race and the River Roeburn. From left: Cissie Stephenson (a domestic servant), Esther Swindlehurst, William Carradus. William Carradus was head woodsman for the Hornby Castle estate. He found the upper floors of the old mill a good place to rear chickens. Behind the party can be seen the penstock that controlled the flow of water from the river down the mill race. Picture courtesy of David Kenyon.

The matter was discussed at a Wray public meeting in 1923.

Records detail the following account: 'Mr Baldwin Bent took the position of chairman. The proposed scheme is to make use of water power from the River Roeburn, supplemented by a semi-diesel engine on standby.

‘This was explained by Mr Bateson, who answered a number of questions, chiefly relating to the cost of wiring, the cost of lamps, and the power of the current.

‘The village gave thanks to Captain W. Foster for his kindness in offering to supply the village with electricity.

A wintry scene at the disused Wray Mill around 1915, where Captain Foster installed a turbine to generate electricity for Hornby Castle. The mill at Wray had a long and varied histor. In the early eighteenth century the mill was used for carding wool for the hat trade. The mill was then used for the cotton trade and finally the processing and spinning of silk. The mill had many owners over the years, and in 1843 a 20HP steam engine was installed to assist the waterwheel. At the time George Smith Land Agent reported, the chimney stack at Wray Mill was built from start to finish in ten days. The mill closed for the final time around 1895. Picture courtesy of David Kenyon.

‘If sufficient people will take up the scheme, to assure a moderate return on his outlay, the village hopes it may be possible to accept his kind offer.'

The project began in 1924. It was designed by Mr W.H. Inman of North Road, Lancaster.

It made use of the River Roeburn, at the old silk mill in Wray, to generate the electric current.

Overland cables then transmitted the electricity to a small power station in Hornby Castle grounds.

Weir dam, River Roeburn, Wray. The weir-dam was situated on the River Roeburn, approximately two hundred yards upstream from Wray Mill. It was built of green heart timber, a wood commonly used for this type of structure owing to its long life when submerged in water. The weir-dam was destroyed in the Wray flood of 1967. Picture courtesy of David Kenyon.

Up until around 1921, the old silk mill in Wray has been used as a bobbin mill.

By 1924, it had fallen into disrepair.

Captain W. Foster's scheme entailed dismantling the old iron water wheel, from which 30 tons of scrap iron was taken, and the formation of a turbine house.

The turbine, which was 30 horse power, was fed from a cement tank filled from the mill race.

The turbine was the latest model and was connected to a 20kw compound-wound direct current generator, capable of giving an output of 20kws at 500 volts.

When tested, the actual output obtained was 31.8 horse power.

The whole Wray plant was easily managed by a single worker - the local forester. He also ran a 10 horse power electric motor saw mill on the same site.

The transmission cables extended 2,700 yards from Wray mill to Hornby Castle out-buildings.

From the terminal pole, the current was carried to the power station at the estate workshops, where a generator charged the batteries for the lighting supply of the castle and other buildings.

One section of the cable went directly to the castle to feed the distribution boards. The supply was also taken to immersed heaters which were placed in the domestic hot water supply system. The castle laundry was also electrically equipped.

Despite the successful supply of electricity to Hornby Castle, the villages of Wray and Hornby did not obtain the electricity supply promised by Captain W Foster.

Residents had to wait until the coming of mains electricity supply from Lancaster in 1934.

With the coming of mains electricity, the silk mill system was abandoned.

In January 1935, the Lancaster Guardian published details of the completion of the Lancaster borough engineers rural electrification scheme: '“This marks the limit of our scheme in this district and in fact it represents the end of the schemes which we are at present engaged in”, said Major G.C. Miles, borough electrical engineer.

The borough engineer also stated that they were offering, wherever a house was situated, whether it was in the middle of a village or half a mile or more away, if a house

was properly wired and a cooker was installed, they were prepared to take a supply right into the house without any charge whatsoever.

This was a very generous offer but during the last three weeks, they had had some rather sad news.

Lancaster Borough Council had carried through the present scheme entirely underground at an extra cost of £15,000 and they did not regret it.

Whether they would be able to continue the scheme underground, they did not know. For in January, their standard cable had cost £25 per 100 yards.

Next month, the price was going up in one fell swoop by 43 shillings. This would have raised the cost to £103,000, making the scheme unviable, or at least have been carried out on the overhead system.

This article shows just how fortunate the Lune Valley villages were to have had their electric cables put underground, a much more tidy and reliable system than overhead wires.

The farms and houses in the dales and fells of the Lune Valley did not receive an electricity supply until the early 1950s.

This was taken to the dwellings by overhead cables.

As a child, I remember it being quite wonderful to not have to use oil lamps and candles and to have light at the flick of a switch.

The old Wray silk mill was sold for development in 1979 and converted into dwellings.

The builder found the 30 horse power turbine still in its pit.

It was considered at the time whether it was worth taking the turbine out for its historical value.

Eventually, it was decided to leave the turbine to be discovered again by future generations and Captain W. Fosters turbine was buried.

How electricity was brought to Wray and Hornby – but not by ambitious scheme from Captain Foster at village castle