Mains electricity reached Witheridge in the Summer of 1939, but the village had its own supply from 1931. Whitehall Securities was the parent company in London of a number of smaller companies in the country, whose aim was to provide "power stations" for towns and large villages. The branch in Devon had offices in Exeter, and an offshoot called the Exe Valley Electricity Company, provided "power stations" in South Molton, Dulverton, Winkleigh and Witheridge.

In 1935, the first electricity was installed in the village in Cypress House, where the Exe Valley Electricity Company chose to locate their plant. The premises chosen was a two storey shed at the back of Cypress House in West Street, the engines were diesel by Blackstone and by Petter, and in 1935, to meet increased demand, a big 4-cylinder Petter was added. These engines charged batteries which were kept upstairs. They never ran at night, merely intermittently during daytime, although in cold winter weather they might have to run all day. Sometimes the battery plates would warp, there would be a crack as a glass container broke and sulphuric acid poured down below. The power plant charged batteries, kept upstairs, When one burst, it leaked down through the floor and the lights went dim and flickered. Spence of Honiton did most of the wiring. Customers of the electricity plant in Witheridge got 100 watts for a shilling a week (and houses were limited to 100 watts each, so the light was not bright.)

All the wiring for the first batch of clients was done by Spence of Honiton, but later work was carried out by the Exe Valley Company. All the wiring round the village was above ground and reached as far as Merryside, Gunhole and the Lower School. At Merryside, the Company installed an electric pump to fill the big water storage tank there with water from the reservoir by the entrance to Lakelands. When the water fell to a certain level, the pump cut in and topped it up. South Molton RDC. paid.

Some people had a meter, but others had a "limiter" which would cause power to flicker if too much was being used. Those with "limiters" paid a shilling a week, enough for two 60 watt bulbs. Bill Williams recalls calling to read the meter of an elderly couple who averaged 8 units per quarter (at a penny three farthings a unit), but on this occasion had used 10 units and the old man was furious. One of Bill Williams jobs was to carry out a thermal efficiency test once a month, comparing oil consumption against power produced. Due to a calculating error Witheridge produced a figure of 33%, Better than the 23% of Battersea Power Station.

Bill started in August 1933, and remembers Leslie Knight, J. Pollard, J Seatherton (who later managed South Molton's plant), and, at times, Bill Knight. Once when Bill Hutchings was felling a tree, he told the Company to switch off the power in case the tree fell on the wires. Bill Williams had to tell him that the law required public notice to be given before the power could be cut off, and that it couldn't be done at once. Half an hour later, the tree fell on the wires and all the power went off. Bill Hutchings had to compensate the Company. In the Summer 1939, mains supply arrived from South Molton and joined in to a transformer sited a few yards down the road to Witheridge Mill.

(A K) The first electricity to be installed in the village of Witheridge was in Cypress House by the Exe Valley Electricity Company in 1935. The power plant charged batteries, kept upstairs, When one burst, it leaked down through the floor and the lights went dim and flickered. Spence of Honiton did most of the wiring. Customers of the electricity plant in Witheridge got 100 watts for a shilling a week (and houses were limited to 100 watts each, so the light was not bright.) The electricity mains came to Witheridge in 1940 and the Exe Valley Electricity Company installed the surplus plant from Witheridge into Winkleigh and (A K) used to travel to Winkleigh to maintain it (and got his petrol at 1/- a gallon.) Wireless: (A K) and (J K)  used to go to Bampton to service wirelesses

Electricity: A Mr Burke lived in the 1930's in Cypress House and installed a generator there. The first house in Witheridge to be wired for electricity was Cannington. There was some suspicion about electricity among some; (G B) worked for Mr. Burke and he gave her an electric fire, but (G B)'s husband said "you'll not use that, you'll be killed."

When Ebrington's Row was cleared in 1969 to make way for the entrance to Appletree Close, not all the houses had electricity. Pullen's Row was not connected until the 1960's and Ford's Folly not until 1972.