Southall Gas Works
Southall Gas Works is a site of around 88 acres (36 ha) in Southall, west London, formerly occupied by a plant for the manufacture of town gas. Today a much reduced site is used for the pressure reduction and storage of natural gas and the remainder of the site is the subject of planning proposals.
The site is roughly triangular, between a railway, a canal and residential development. It lies along the south bank of the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, close to its junction with the main line of the canal to the Thames at Brentford. It is on the north side of the Great Western Main Line between Southall and Hayes stations, close to the junction with the branch line which originally ran to Brentford Dock. Across the canal is the recently established Minet Country Park.
The gas works was originally constructed by the Brentford Gas Company, opening in 1869. It was required to meet rapidly increasing demand in Middlesex, which outstripped the capacity of the company's original works on the Thames at Brentford.
The gas works was originally established at the western end of the full site, and progressively expanded to the east over sites originally used for brickyards and chemical works. It initially consisted of a retort house and a 480,000 cubic feet (14,000 m3) gas holder. In 1881 a second retort house was built and in 1885 an ammonium sulphate plant.
In 1878 no. 2 holder was built with a capacity of 1,130,000 cubic feet (32,000 m3). In 1885 a Hurd holder was built with a capacity of 2,100,000 cubic feet (59,000 m3). In 1892 holder no. 4 was erected, to take 3,950,000 cubic feet (112,000 m3) of gas. In 1899 a carburetted water gas (CWG) plant was added with a capacity of 3,000,000 cubic feet (85,000 m3) per day, and in 1903 another retort house with 200 retorts.
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