Glasgow Road
The clamour for an electricity supply in Denny at the beginning of the 20th century was considerable and commercial concerns threatened to go their own way. Denny Town Council pointed out that it could make better terms for the community than any one person could make for themselves and in 1903 entered into negotiations with the Scottish Central Power Company. In 1905 the Council applied for a Provisional Lighting Order from the Board of Trade and this was granted. It then had a limited time period in which to firm up its proposals and in December 1906 a deputation from Denny Town Council visited Dollar to inspect the electric light system of that burgh. They were shown round the electric power station, where the various details of the undertaking were closely examined. Special attention was paid to overhead wire system, which was a feature of the Dollar electric light supply and enabled the system to be introduced at a much less initial cost than that prevalent in most towns.
In the early hours of 28 May 1937 Denny Town hall was devastated by a fire but the substation was saved. The town hall was replaced by the Cinema de Luxe. During the Second World War the electricity station was guarded by the local Home Guard.
After the war the electric distribution system was nationalised and in 1948 the Denny plant became part of the South of Scotland Electricity Board.
After considering its options it decided to lay in the infrastructure itself and to obtain a bulk supply from the Bonnybridge Power Station. A minute of agreement between the Burgh of Denny and Dunipace and the Scottish Central Electric Power Company was signed in 1908 (copy in Falkirk Archives, a16.185). In July that year workmen were busy erecting the “power station” (what we might call a sub-station) towards the rear of the Public Hall in Glasgow Road. The north side of the building bordered Glebe Park. In Denny the poles were only down one side of the streets, requiring frequent crossings to feed the various properties.
Falkirk Local History Society 