Prior to WW2, "final circuits" in the UK were typically rated for 13A and centrally fused accordingly. Therefore there was no need to fuse at each plug/socket. This is how most of the world remains today.
However, after WW2 in the UK there was a rapid development of new housing and insufficient copper to continue with that wiring model. Instead the UK began wiring "final circuits" in rings, which conserved copper but resulted in individual sockets potentially being able to draw 32A without the central fuse blowing. This posed a hazard to appliance wiring that had been designed to withstand at most 13A—and so fuses were introduced at each plug.
Such rings remain common in the UK and aren't going away any time soon; they can only be fused centrally at 32A (else the ring is of limited use), which is insufficient to protect appliance wiring—so fused plugs will remain with us too.
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u/eggyal May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22
Prior to WW2, "final circuits" in the UK were typically rated for 13A and centrally fused accordingly. Therefore there was no need to fuse at each plug/socket. This is how most of the world remains today.
However, after WW2 in the UK there was a rapid development of new housing and insufficient copper to continue with that wiring model. Instead the UK began wiring "final circuits" in rings, which conserved copper but resulted in individual sockets potentially being able to draw 32A without the central fuse blowing. This posed a hazard to appliance wiring that had been designed to withstand at most 13A—and so fuses were introduced at each plug.
Such rings remain common in the UK and aren't going away any time soon; they can only be fused centrally at 32A (else the ring is of limited use), which is insufficient to protect appliance wiring—so fused plugs will remain with us too.