13/06/2025 Latest News
Ever fancied owning a unique piece of history? Collectors will get their chance to bid for over 200 electricity-related items in our online auction set to end on June 30th. View the lots HERE.
The artefacts come from the former Museum of Electricity in Christchurch, Dorset which closed its doors to visitors 13 years ago. Highlights from the collection include one of the first electric cars ever to appear on our roads and a large statue of the ‘father of electricity’ Michael Faraday.
The Enfield 8000 is a two-seater electric car created in 1973 powered by eight twelve-volt car batteries with a top speed of 50mph and a range of 40 miles. With an estimate of up to £2,500 it doubled as an unusual way for employees of electricity boards to travel in the 1970s and as a clever piece of marketing.
Victorian scientist Michael Faraday established the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics, seen as instrumental in the creation of the electric motor. Collectors can bid for a seven-foot-tall Faraday statue, valued at £500, in the online auction.
These items were once housed in the Museum of Electricity in Dorset which is a former Edwardian power station. Originally built in 1903 to supply electricity to Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole the building became a museum in the 1980s until its closure in 2012.
After a successful rehoming project for many of the objects the museum’s owners, energy company SSE, are auctioning the remaining items to help fund future heritage projects. The Christchurch building itself will be returned to SSE’s Networks business for operational use.
Gillian O’Reilly, SSE’s Head of Heritage, said: “As an employee of an energy company I’ve long been fascinated by how electricity has shaped our lives. For example, it is extraordinary that electricity boards were providing employees with electric cars over 50 years ago – whereas now we see them everywhere.
“Sorting through the Christchurch collection has been a labour of heritage love, working first with the local community and donating some items to museums such as Tate Modern in London and Museum of Power in Essex. We have also retained a core collection of items in our own SSE Visitor Centre in Perthshire and we hope this auction will spark significant interest.”
Andrew Stowe, Senior Valuer & Auctioneer, added: “This is an electrifying collection in every sense. Electricity is something we all use and most likely take for granted, but there is an incredibly interesting history behind it.
“Within the auction we have scientific apparatus, antique working models of early motors and batteries, as well as every-day objects from days gone by. These objects form an important part of our social history and we’re sure collectors from all over the world will want to get their hands on a special piece of memorabilia from the collection.”
Many of SSE’s heritage objects are on long-term loan whilst others are exhibited at sites including their Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre in Perthshire, and offices in Perth and Reading.
The proceeds from this special sale will be used to support both public access and preservation of SSE’s collection of heritage artefacts. The 225-lot auction can be viewed on our website HERE.