Turning off the gas

Whatever happened to gasometers? The question sprang into mind when I saw this one looking empty and forlorn next to a local supermarket. These structures are throw-backs to the Victorian era, and now that modern gas pipes and the North Sea supply have rendered these huge gas holders obsolete, most are destined for demolition.

I think that's rather sad, as they are interesting structures and traditionally stored vast quantities of gas produced by local gasworks. Each one could hold up to two million cubic feet of gas, enough to supply 2,400 homes for one day.

Gasometers date back to 1824, when the first one was constructed in Leeds. At one time there were more than 1,000 individual gas companies across the country, and almost every town had its own gasworks and gasometer. Hopefully some of these skeleton structures will be preserved as a memory of a past era.