Founded by Frederick Albert Winsor (who also gave the world's first demonstration of street lighting by coal gas). Nationalised in 1949, becoming the major part of new North Thames Gas Board. In 1973 all the area boards were merged to form British Gas.
At nationalisation, 37 GLCC gasworks had already closed. Thirteen were still in operation: Becton, Bow Common, Brentford, Bromley, Fulham, Harrow and Stanmore, Kensal Green, Nine Elms, Shoreditch, Southall, Southend-on-Sea, Staines, Stratford.
The Brentford gas works were at the riverside, where Waterman's Park now is. See and . These show the gasometers to the north, while the reservoirs and filter beds of the water works filled in all the space up to Green Dragon Lane.
The Brentford Gas Company was established in 1820 at the riverside site. In 1869 it built additional works at Southall. This site was south of Beaconsfield Road UB1, north of the railway and east of the canal. (at top left). there was a second Southall site: at Montague Road, Southall. We found this as a a very small site on an (halfway up, about one third in from the left) where it's shown closer to the junction of Adelaide Road and Talbot Road, rather than Montague Road.
Between 1870 and 1925 The Brentford Gas Company absorbed a number of other companies (at 5 sites around London) and was itself absorbed into GLCC in 1926.
Imperial Gas Light Co was founded in 1821. Works were built at Battlebridge Road in King’s Cross, and in Shoreditch at Whiston Street (also known as Hackney Road Works, Great Cambridge Street). It took over some small companies and in 1824 built the Fulham work at Sands Lane. In 1870 it developed gas works at Bromley on Bow Creek, on the east bank of the River Lea. In 1876 Imperial was taken over by GLCC.
Beckton Gas Works were built by GLCC in 1868 on East Ham Levels east of London. The site was named "Beckton" after the GLCC chairman, Simon Adams Beck. At the 1949 nationalisation, Beckton was the largest gas works in the world. Closed in 1976.
has a good post about the gas works in Central London.
Sources: , , , , .
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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