How Godalming has misled the world for 140 years

When the lights flicked on in a small Surrey town in 1881, few residents realised they were witnessing what was believed to be a global first.

Major cities including New York, Paris and London were using electric lamps, but Godalming operated a public electricity supply that powered both street lighting and private homes.

The town has a plaque stating that it was the first public electric street lighting, on 26 September 1881, close to the exact place it happened.

However, Graham, from the Godalming Trust, told the Secret Surrey series: "This was the first lamp under publicly available electricity, but it wasn't the first electric street light in England."

Godalming is believed to actually be the first town to have a public electricity supply, not the first electric street light - which is believed to be in Newcastle two years before.

That means that two plaques the town are incorrect, but locals are "unsure where they came from".

The project was the idea of local mill owners the Pullman brothers, who saw an opportunity to harness the River Wey.

At their Westbrook Mill, a waterwheel was connected to a Siemens generator capable of supplying current to a network of arc lamps and newly developed incandescent bulbs.

Electricity was generated centrally and distributed through overhead cables.

The system powered three street lamps in the town centre and provided electricity to several shops and residences, including the local post office.

The electricity was water powered - it moved a 4.1m (13.5ft) waterwheel.

When it moved, it generated energy which turned into electricity.

By the late 1880s, larger cities were rolling out commercial power stations, and within decades electricity had become a defining feature of modern life.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.