Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside

Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside OM KBE FRS FREng[1] (12 May 1901 – 22 June 1983) was a British nuclear engineer, and supervisor of the construction of Calder Hall, the world's first large-scale commercial nuclear power station.

The Right Honourable

The Lord Hinton of Bankside

OM KBE FRS FREng
Born12 May 1901
Tisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK
Died22 June 1983 (aged 82)
London, England, UK
NationalityBritish
Known forCalder Hall
AwardsWilhelm Exner Medal (1956)
Castner Medal (1956)
Albert Medal (1957)
Rumford Medal (1970)
James Watt International Medal (1973)
Order of Merit (1976)
Scientific career
FieldsNuclear

Career

Hinton was born on 12 May 1901 at Tisbury, Wiltshire. He attended school in Chippenham where his father was a schoolmaster, and left school at 16 to become an engineering apprentice with the Great Western Railway at Swindon. At 22 he was awarded the William Henry Allen scholarship of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first class honours degree.[2]

Hinton then worked for Brunner Mond, later part of ICI, where he became Chief Engineer at the age of 29. At Brunner Mond he met Lillian Boyer (d. 1973) whom he married in 1931.[3] They had one daughter, Mary (1932–2014), who married Arthur Mole, son of Sir Charles Mole, director-general of the Ministry of Works.

During World War II, Hinton was seconded to the Ministry of Supply and became Deputy Director General, running ordnance factory construction and in charge of the Royal Filling Factories.[3]

In 1946, Hinton was appointed Deputy Controller of Production, Atomic Energy, and in 1954 when the Atomic Energy Authority was formed, was appointed Member for Engineering and Production as managing director of 'Industrial Group Risley'[3] which comprised the Risley headquarters and laboratories at Culcheth, Capenhurst, Windscale, Springfields and Dounreay plus factories at Springfields, Capenhurst, Windscale, Calder, Dounreay and Chapelcross.

Hinton's department was responsible for the design and construction of most of Britain's major nuclear plants, including Windscale, Capenhurst, Springfields and Dounreay. In 1957, Hinton became the first chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). He retired in 1964. In 1965 he worked for six months in the Ministry of Transport and afterwards became a special adviser to the World Bank. He served as Chairman of the International Executive Committee of the World Energy Conference, 1962–68.[3]

He was created Baron Hinton of Bankside, of Dulwich in the County of London, a life peer, on 28 January 1965, and served as Chancellor of the University of Bath 1966 – 1979.[4] He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1976.[5]

Hinton Heavies

The English architectural critic Reyner Banham dubbed the first 500MW units ordered by the CEGB as the Hinton Heavies. A first for 500MW power station design the stations are listed below in the order that the CEGB released them for construction.[6][7]

The Hinton Heavies
Power StationCountyOutput (MW)
01West BurtonNottinghamshire2000 MW
02Ferrybridge 'C'West Yorkshire2000 MW
03EggboroughNorth Yorkshire2000 MW
04KingsnorthKent2000 MWOil Fired
05FawleyHampshire2000 MWOil Fired
06Aberthaw ‘B’South Wales1500 MW
07Ironbridge 'B'Shropshire1000 MW
08Fiddlers FerryCheshire2000 MW
09RatcliffeNottinghamshire2000 MW
10Cottam[8]Nottinghamshire2000 MW
11PembrokeSouth West Wales2000 MWOil Fired
12Rugeley 'B'Staffordshire1000 MW
13Didcot 'A'Oxfordshire2000 MW

The Hinton Cup and Hinton Trophy

During his time at the Central Electricity Generating Board he commissioned the Hinton Cup, a piece of silverware that would be presented annually to the power station that displayed good housekeeping in the workplace. The citation to go with the cup reads 'This cup is presented to the Power Station judged to have reached the highest attainment in economy and efficiency of operation and maintenance with particular reference to attractiveness and good housekeeping'.

The cup was first won by Meaford A power station in 1959 and was last won by West Burton Power Station prior to the divestment of the Central Electricity Generating Board. The Hinton Trophy was the equivalent award for the best Transmission District. Because of the miners strike there was no competitions in 1984–85. To commemorate the thirty years of awarding the cup and trophy a presentation plate was manufactured by Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.

Hinton Cup
30 year commemorative plate
30 year commemorative plate
The Hinton Cup & Trophy For Good Housekeeping
Power StationYearTransmission District
01Meaford1959–1960
02Stella North1960–1961Luton
03South Denes1961–1962Bristol
04Darlington[9]1962–1963Durham
05Marchwood1963–1964Nottingham[10]
06Rheidol1964–1965Bushbury[11]
07Huddersfield1965–1966Swansea
08Poole1966–1967Taunton
09Elland1967–1968East Riding
10West Burton1968–1969Northumberland
11South Denes1969–1970Leeds
12Staythorpe1970–1971Poole
13Thornhill1971–1972Stourport
14Sizewell A[12]1972–1973Cumbria
15Willington B[13]1973–1974Rayleigh
16Trawsfynydd[14]1974–1975Bushbury[15]
17Ratcliffe-on-Soar1975–1976King's Lynn
18Oldbury on Severn1976–1977East Cheshire
19Keadby1977–1978Staythorpe
20Fawley1978–1979Solent
21Sizewell1979–1980Taunton
22Eggborough1980–1981Southern
23Cottam1981–1982Northwest (Midlands Region)[16]
24Pembroke1982–1983Northwest (Midlands Region)
25Drax1983–1984Northwest (Northwest Region)
26Thorpe Marsh[17]1985–1986Northwest (Midlands Region)
27Ratcliffe-on-Soar1986–1987Wealdon
28Rugeley A & B1987–1988Chase
29West Burton1988–1989Westward

Awards and achievements
Coat of arms of Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside
Crest
A demi-talbot Argent gorged with an ancient crown Or in the mouth a batton Or tipped Sable.
Escutcheon
Azure on a pile Or between seven roses Argent barbed and seeded Proper three barrulets dancetty Gules.
Supporters
Dexter a pantheon Gules semy of mullets Or, sinister a male griffin Gules armed langued and rayed Or each gorged with an ancient crown affixed thereto a chain reflexed over the back Or.
Motto
Firm And Faithful [22]
Academic offices
New institution Chancellor of the University of Bath
1966–1980		 Succeeded by
Sir Frank Kearton
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by
Harold Norman Gwynne Allen		 President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
1966		 Succeeded by
Hugh Graham Conway
Business positions
New title Chairman of the Central Electricity Generating Board
1957–1964		 Succeeded by
Sir Stanley Brown
gollark: ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
gollark: ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
gollark: ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
gollark: ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
gollark: ?emojistats

References
  1. Gowing, M. (1990). "Lord Hinton of Bankside, O. M., F. Eng. 12 May 1901 – 22 June 1983". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 36: 218. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1990.0031.
  2. "Papers and correspondence of Christopher Hinton, Baron Hinton of Bankside". Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. "Hinton of Bankside, Baron, (Christopher Hinton) (12 May 1901–22 June 1983)". Hinton of Bankside. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U165328. (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries)
  4. "Previous Chancellors". University of Bath. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  5. "No. 46872". The London Gazette. 9 April 1976. p. 5299.
  6. Banham, Reyner (28 May 1970). New Society 15 (398 ed.). University of California Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780520219441. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  7. Clarke, Jonathan (2013). "'High Merit': existing English post-war coal and oil-fired power stations in context". Historic England. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. Banham, Reyner (27 January 1997). A Critic Writes: Selected Essays by Reyner Banham. University of California Press. p. 155. ISBN 9780520219441. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  9. "Presentation of good housekeeping trophies at Darlington power station and Durham transmission section". The National Archives. Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  10. "Midlands Power". Midlands Power: 3. October 1965. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  11. "Midlands Power". Midlands Power: 1. October 1965. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  12. New Scientist. Reed Business Information Ltd. 31 January 1974. p. 273.
  13. Midlands Power (April 1974 ed.). Central Electricity Generating Board. April 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  14. Contact (PDF). MANWEB Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board. September 1975. p. 219.
  15. Midlands Power (October 1965 ed.). Central Electricity Generation Board Midlands Region. October 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  16. Parliamentary Debates. House of Commons. Official Report of the Standing Committees. 5. Great Britain: H.M. Stationery Office. 1982. p. 146. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. The Life of a South Yorkshire Power Station. CEGB. 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  18. "No. 39150". The London Gazette. 16 February 1951. p. 856.
  19. "No. 40960". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1957. p. 11.
  20. "No. 43566". The London Gazette. 2 February 1965. p. 1162.
  21. "Corporate Information". University of Bath. 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  22. Debrett's Peerage. 1973.
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