Way down East

Splendid shots of the king’s visit to the opening of a new power station in Barking, with terrific views of gleaming turbines and control panels.

The king and other dignitaries are shown round the newly completed Barking power station, which was then the largest power station in Britain. The king gives a speech, is led past the eight gargantuan gleaming turbo-generators and into the control room. Large power stations like Barking were being built all around London in this time, with the crowning glory of Battersea coming in 1933. Barking was closed in 1981 and has since been demolished.