What did the earliest electrical wiring regulations in the UK cover?

Answer 1

These Regulations have a long history. The world's first public electricity

supply was provided in late 1881, when the streets of Godalming were lit by

electric light. This system was supplied by a water-wheel driven generator on

the River Wey, that supplied a number of arc lamps within the town, as well as

providing electricity to a small number of shops and other premises. A few

months later, the American inventor, Thomas Edison, opened the world's first

steam-powered D.C. electricity-generating station at Holborn Viaduct in

London, which supplied a number of local consumers with electric lighting.

At that time, there were simply no rules or regulations and, with no one in authority to tell them how to lay their cables, these companies simply installed cables where and how it suited them and, frequently, they represented a danger to the general public. However, later in 1882, The

Electric Lighting Clauses Act (modelled on the 1847 Gas Act) was passed by Parliament which authorised electricity suppliers to install electrical supply systems in accordance with Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Fire Risks Arising from Electric Lighting.

This document was, essentially, the forerunner and first edition of today's IEE

Wiring Regulations. A series of revisions followed. In 1897, the Third Edition

was issued under the title: General Rules Recommended for the Wiring of the

Supply of Electrical Energy and, by 1924, with the publication of the Eighth

Edition, the title had become Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of

Buildings -not much different from today's title.

The current 17th edition of the Regulations, BS 7671:2008, is divided into

seven Parts, together with 15Appendices