ABSTRACT
The electrification of the countryside was a long-drawn-out process with four interwoven but distinct components: the uptake and use of generators and other forms of self-supply; rural electrification; farmhouse and cottage electrification; and farm electrification. The first of these components, although an important and under-researched subject, falls largely outside the scope of this book. The second, rural electrification, was to a large extent accomplished before the Second World War, at least if it is measured in terms of making electricity available for installation to consumers living in villages of 500 or more inhabitants. The electrification of most farmhouses and cottages had to wait until after the war, but once a mains supply became available to these more isolated dwellings it was adopted relatively quickly for lighting, although other uses only evolved over time. The use of electricity on the farm itself, not only for lighting but also for heating and power, often took much longer to develop.
