Edward Bayzand Ellington (2 August 1845 – 10 November 1914) was a British

hydraulic Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

engineer who pioneered the development of urban-scale hydraulic power distribution systems. Ellington was managing director of the Hydraulic Engineering Co of Chester and one of the founders of the London Hydraulic Power Company. He invented the hydraulic balance lift (US: elevator) and the automatic injector

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, fireplug, firecock (archaic), hydrant riser or Johnny Pump is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe a ...

Early life

The second son of a warehouseman, Ellington was born in

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

, and studied at

Denmark Hill Denmark Hill is an area and road in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark, London, England. It is a sub-section of the western flank of the Norwood Ridge, centred on the long, curved Ruskin Park slope of the ridge. The road is part of ...

Grammar School before being articled to the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

-based maritime engineering firm of John Penn in 1862. In 1869, he left Penn's company and London and entered into partnership with Bryan Johnson of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

; Johnson and Ellington specialised in hydraulic machinery. In 1871, they established the Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company. In 1875, the partnership converted to a limited company, the Hydraulic Engineering Co.

Hydraulic power

Two years later, in 1877, Ellington was engineer to the Hull Hydraulic Power Co., the first company to demonstrate the practicability of large-scale urban

hydraulic power network A hydraulic power network is a system of interconnected Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes carrying pressurized liquid used to transmit Power (physics), mechanical power from a power source, like a pump, to hydraulic equipment like lifts or Hydrauli ...

s, in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

. In London in 1882, he was consulting engineer to the General Hydraulic Power Company of Southwark (incorporated 29 June), and, in 1884, helped form its subsidiary, the London Hydraulic Power Company, which merged the Wharves and Warehouses Steam Power and Hydraulic Pressure Company and the General Hydraulic Power Company. This was followed by similar UK companies in Liverpool ( Liverpool Hydraulic Power Company, 1889), Manchester ( Manchester Hydraulic Power, 1894) and

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

(1895), plus Australian schemes in Melbourne (1889) and Sydney (1891). The emergence of electrical power during the 20th century meant hydraulic networks were gradually superseded; the Hull company was wound up in 1947 while the final London pumping station ceased operation in 1977. Late in his life Ellington was elected President of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

. He died at his London home (73 Addison Road, Kensington) on 10 November 1914.

Family

Ellington married Marion Florence Leonard, and they had at least one child, a son, Edward Ellington (born in Kensington in 1877), who became a senior figure in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellington, Edward B 1845 births 1914 deaths Hydraulic engineers