Author Topic: Gas Works  (Read 7494 times)

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: Gas Works
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2020, 01:46:41 PM »
Stuart. I don't know whether Lutonman was also involved with the manufacture of gas, I'll leave that to him. But a consequence of the manufacture was that there was a lot of coke left after the gas had been extracted. This was used commercially & industrially for heating systems; Schools, Hospitals, factories, etc., although very large installations using steam still used coal( anthracite or large "steam coal"). Most large towns had a gas works, with the obligatory gasometer, or 2 or 3, to store the gas. These, as you said, could increase in volume by moving the inner tanks up (usually 3 in total), with a water seal within a " gutter"- about 10" wide & deep- between them. The system worked quite well as the gas was not at a great pressure & 12" mains were standard in towns, going back many years to the gas lit streets & homes. Trouble occurred when "natural" gas was discovered in the N.Sea & more so, in the Middle East. It was much cheaper in comparison, so became a must have & didn't smell BUT worked at a much higher pressure. Because of this increased pressure, which was reduced somewhat for domestic/ commercial use, the gas could be compressed &  stored in H.P. pipes, doing away with the gasometers. And the gas works of course. So no more coke. But this was replaced in commercial/industrial heating by this new, cheap gas. So there was a nationwide change over of heating boilers from coke to gas, quite a big programme in which I was very much involved in the mid 70's. A few years later came the " clean air act", so coal became a no no & was replaced domestically with "smokeless fuel"( bricquets, etc.) & industrially, larger hospitals etc., by heavy oil or gas. As mentioned, this natural gas was at a higher pressure than " towns" gas & caused problems in places by leaking, with the consequential explosions!  My brother on law was an engineer with a firm who did gas & fuel pipelines across the country( my sister met him when he was an x-ray welder at the IoGrain oil refinery). One job,they were tasked with replacing the mains in Cambridge & found that in places the original pipe had rusted way & the gas was held in place by the solid clay surrounding it! There must have been hundreds similar! Someone asked about the areas occupied by gasometers- what happened when they were no longer needed. It was a very precarious situation for the ground beneath was highly toxic with " heavy metals" etc. The only way to use it safely was to excavate the whole are to a depth of 12ft.! Occasionally, like the one in Carlisle which my B in Law( now working for Brit. Gas) was about to take down, suddenly had a court order prohibiting the demolition as it was of " historic significance"! I've tried to precis this but any more questions, please ask &, hopefully, I will be able to answer.   

Offline MartinR

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Re: Gas Works
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2020, 08:18:21 PM »
Possibly, OT, but how is gas stored nowadays?  I can remember learning about gasometers (and their ingenious water seals) at school, but as they are phased out what is put in their place?  Also OT, remember that any homes to be built after 2023 will not be permitted to be connected to the gas grid and will not be allowed to have fossil-fueled boilers.

Offline stuartwaters

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Gas Works
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2020, 06:11:07 PM »
I originally joined the old forum to add some detail to the rebuilding of Christ Church Luton. My professional background is in the Gas Distribution industry and personally in church matters these are not subjects which come up very often on the forum. I do regularly visit the forum and where I can add a viewpoint and join in GTP where I can.


I'd love to read about the manufacture, storage and distribution of gas Lutonman. I know that all towns had a Gasworks, where coal gas was made and stored. With the advent of Natural Gas from the North Sea in the 1970's, the making of coal gas stopped and these places became storage facilities with their large gasometers. Now, these are being phased out if they haven't been already and the gasometers, many of them local landmarks, are being demolished.


I'd also love to read about the history of the church you mention. Churches (of the Church of England variety) used to be at the centre of community life and not just for their religious role, but they were often at the centre of local government. I know that Edward Muddle, who bought the Gillingham shipyard, located at the current site of the Strand Boatyard, was heavily involved with the Parish Council at St Mary Magdalene in Gillingham.


As I've stated in a previous post on this thread, I'm not overly fussed if spelling and grammar are not perfect and if it's particularly bad, I'm happy to correct it. The whole point of a public Forum like this is to share knowledge and stories, to discuss and ask questions.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.