Gasworks regeneration optimized

1. Realising the Heritage Value of
former Gasworks Sites.
Prof. Russell Thomas
IES – Land Symposium 2020

2. Objectives of the Presentation
• Introduction
• Case studies:
• Review of the history and heritage of the Gas Industry in England
• Gasworks regeneration case studies
• Creating societal value by means other than preservation:
• Conclusions

3. 3
• Brownfield Sites can have hidden heritage and societal value.
• Heritage can be important to a local community and can improve quality of life;
• Investment in heritage can improve and Increase pride in the local environment.
• Industrial heritage can provide a link with a communities past and act as a focal point.
• This value may exist in the form of:
• redundant physical assets such as structures and buildings; or
• invisible assets such as social history or personal stories which may give these sites
an important place in the local community’s history.
• The heritage value of former industrial sites can be overlooked where:
• Profit may be impacted by the retention of heritage assets; or
• the site lacks any form of heritage protection.
Heritage Value in Brownfield Sites

4. Manufactured Gas Industry Project – Historic England
• The aims of the project were:
• Understand the scale and importance
of the Heritage Assets associated with
Gas Industry in England
• Place the English Gas Industry in a
context across a regional, national
and international background.
• History of the Manufactured Gas Industry
in England.
• A Description of Gasworks Plant and
Buildings.
• Produce a Gazetteer of English gas sites.
4

5. • Private factory gasworks were built across Britain from 1805.
• The Gas Light and Coke Company (GLCC) was established in 1812.
• Further gas companies were established in London, the UK & abroad.
• Gas was originally used for lighting, cheaper, brighter, safer and
cleaner than oil lamps or candles.
• By 1830 over 200 British towns and cities were lit by gas.
• Constantly evolved and innovated through its 170 year history.
• Gas industry by-products became the basis of the first chemical
industry, supplying coal tar, ammonia, benzol and sulphur.
• The development of electricity, eroded its lighting market, but the
incandescent lamp enabled it to compete till the 1960’s
• The Bunsen Burner allowed gas to be used effectively for heating &
cooking allowed gas to survive.
• Post 1950, gas started to be made from oil & refinery by-products.
• Manufactured gas was replaced by natural gas between 1966-1976.
The Growth of the Manufactured Gas Industry

6. 6
Gasworks Process Flow Schematic
The production of town gas from coal. The black
arrows show the progress of the gas through the
plant and the grey arrows show the processing of the
by-products.
Coal pier
Retort house
Condenser
Exhauster Washer/scrubber
Purifier
Tar and liquor well
Tar stills
Sulphate of
ammonia Sulphuric
acid plant
Benzol washer
Gasholders
Station meter
Benzol stillsChemical works
Spent oxide
Crude
benzol
Ammoniacal
liquor
Coal tar
Ammoniacal
liquorCoal tar
Distilled coal
tar
Refined benzol
Coal mine

7. At a glance
7
Manufactured Gas Industry Project - Gazetteer
• How do we know what once
existed?;
• What still survives? and
• Are there sites of interest we
don’t know about?
• The third aim of the project
was to locate, provide a brief
history and knowledge of
surviving structures for former
gasworks sites in England.

8. • Gasworks Indexes;
• Historical maps;
• Archive plans and photos;
• Journals – gas, engineering and scientific;
• Manufacturers booklets;
• Listings and Historic Environment Records
• Newpapers; and
• County histories.
Resources used for finding former gasworks

9. Gas Industry in the English
Midlands

10. Extent of Gasworks in England
Gasworks Type Total
Public Gasworks 1643
Gasholder Station 188
Country House 659
Hospital 47
Colliery/Mine 158
Mills (textile/paper) 549
Factory 187
Military/munitions 16
Prison 6
Steel / Iron Works 109
Railway 131
School 36
Other 92
3821
• Huge Industrial legacy which employed many hundreds of thousands of people.
• Unique industrial heritage, fragments of which survive, some of which are nationally
and internationally important.

11. Protected Gas Heritage in the UK
Fakenham- gasworks museum –
scheduled ancient monument
Lavenham – gasholder – scheduled
ancient monument
Great Yarmouth - Listed Gasholder
Bromley by Bow – Listed gasholders
Fulham – No.2 gasholder (worlds
oldest) & buildings
Carlisle - listed gasholder frame
Biggar Gas Museum
Kings Cross - Four listed
gasholders – redeveloped.
Sunderland- listed gasholder
Sudbury estate gasworks
listed buildings.
Leicester – Gas Museum
Cardiff – Listed gasholder frame
Carrickfergus – gasworks museum
Granton Edinburgh - listed gasholder
Kennington Oval - Gasholder No.1
Four listed gasholder frames – Glasgow
One Listed gasholder frame - Paisley
Dumferline – Two listed gasholders
Old Kent Road - Gasholder No.13
Gas Street Gasworks - Listed
Dolphinholme gasworks –
scheduled ancient monument

12. What Survives ?
Protected Structures
Gas Street, Birmingham (top left)
Kings Cross, London (Bottom left)
Old Kent Road Gasholder No.13
London (Top right)
Fulham No.2 (Bottom right)

13. What survives ?
Unprotected
Structures
Google Street view Google Street view
Google Street view

14. Heritage preservation versus potential contamination.
• Statutory protection can impose costly maintenance and may not be
financially viable unless reuse is feasible.
• The presence of potential contamination may be an argument against
retention of structures.
• The economic value of retaining the heritage is difficult to monetarise.
• The sites we investigate may be unrecognised sites of national significance
• As Contaminated Land Professionals – do we have the expertise to
recognise such sites?
• As a site owner would you actively seek this knowledge – have you
assessed your property portfolio for heritage value?
• Statutory Protection can limit the options for a site or structure.
• Previous industrial use may add character to a development – providing a
link to the past
• If contamination is present - it is possible to redevelop a site and retain its
heritage.
• Unprotected buildings may also provide character to a development, with
more flexibility.
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15. Case Study: Sudbury Gasworks Regeneration Trust.
• The Sudbury Gasworks were built in 1874, designed by George Devey, a noted architect.
• Privately owned by the Vernon Family, it supplied the Hall and Estate village.
• Gas production ceased c1920, later used as a pottery & now derelict - protected - Grade II listed.
• In 2013, the Sudbury Gasworks Restoration Trust (SGRT), was established to save the building.
• The former use as a gasworks left potential contamination present within the ground.
• A site investigation was undertaken identifying areas of contamination around the tar tanks.
• Money has been raised by the local community, charities and Heritage Lottery Fund, to enable
the remediation of the site and the restoration of the building.
• Remediation in this case would be a relatively small part of the overall cost.
Photos: SGRT

16. Case Study: Suvilahti Restoration Project Helsinki.
· The site was a former electric power plant and gasworks.
· Built 1910, the works were designed by the architect Selim A.
Lindqvist. Gas production ended in 1994.
· Nationally significant built cultural environment. It encompasses
nine buildings and two large gasometers.
· Since 2008, the site has gradually been redeveloped for new uses,
mainly cultural, for artists.
· The Gasholder house is a key feature, it was dewatered and the
sludge removed in 2010.
· The soil around the gasholder contained high concentrations of
BTEX (1500 mg/kg) and PAH (2000 mg/kg).
· Soil to a depth of 5m was removed (10,000 m3).
· Soil gas collection system installed to collect any residual gases
which could migrate into the building.
· The walls have been reinforced and a separate steel floor
constructed to allow a multi-storey building to be constructed inside.
16
Many thanks to Johanna Hytonnen of
Helsinki Municipal Authority

17. Case Study: Tondelier Gent – Site Redevelopment
• Site originally developed as a gasworks,
• The gasworks closed in the 19th C, but
Gasholders retained.
• Rest of the site was redeveloped for new
uses.
• Last surviving gasholders in Flanders.
Many thanks to Inge De Vrieze of OVAM for this case study

18. 18
Case Study: Tondelier Gent – Investigation and Remediation
TAR
sources
CN
sources
CVOC
sources
• The sites complex
history left a cocktail of
contaminants.
• Proved challenging
• PCB were discovered
not identified during the
Site Investigation
phase.
Many thanks to Inge De Vrieze of OVAM for this case study
• Contaminated tar zones – larger than initially investigated
• Site was remediated in phases.
• The gasholders are integral to the future site redevelopment.
• Gasholders are protected and the estimated cost to refurbish is
about 3m euros.
• One gasholder will be completely renovated, the other will retain a
partly filled tank will remain and will be incorporated into the park.

19. Case Study: Tondelier Gent – Future Development
The future: 530 apartments,
underground parking, park, sports hall
Many thanks to Inge De Vrieze of OVAM for use of this case study
Photos/visualisations: Ovam

20. Asisi Panoramas
• Yedegar Asisi panoramas have breathed life into
a number of derelict gasworks sites.
• The former gasworks in:
• Dresden and Liepzig – Gasholder houses
used; and
• Pforzheim – Steel gasholder tank and frame
used
• 360° Projection of an image on the internal wall
of the gasholder. Subjects have included:
• Ancient Rome;
• War ravaged Dresden in 1945; and
• Great Barrier Reef.
• Provides a unique immersive experience.
• Very popular tourist destinations.
Photos: Asisi

21. Klaipeda,
Lithuania
Gasworks
To
Motor
Museum
21
Images care of Augustinas Jankevicius

22. Recording Written or Oral Histories
• For some sites, the heritage value of the surviving features may be insufficient for retention, the site
may still be of importance to the community.
• Such sites can be captured for the community as publications hard copy or online.

23. Undertaking Surveys and Educational Materials
• Drone Surveys & Heritage Surveys
• Educational materials:
• Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality
• Cut out models
National Grid Property
Russell Thomas

24. Photographic Records, Museum Donations and Leaving Monuments
Reinstalled gasholder frame,
Battersea, National Grid Property
Inside the MAN gasholder Battersea,
National Grid Property.
Mecanoo Architects, Hilversum gasworks,
Netherlands
Donated Plaque, Battersea,
Fakenham Gas Museum.

25. Conclusions & Future Thoughts
• You need to understand the history, technology & importance of
an industry to assess the value of surviving heritage;
• The gas industry is an internationally important industry, whose
heritage remains of significance to society;
• Only a small fraction of it’s built heritage survives in England;
• Significant structures survive & potentially expensive to maintain.
• With vision it is possible to incorporate the heritage of an
industrial site into modern developments; or
• Leave a legacy for future generations, either built, written, within
a museum or on-line.
Photo: Visualisierung/Stadt Halle
Photo: Russell Thomas
Visualisation: Grid Architects

26. Thank you for
listening
wsp.com
Please contact us if you have
any further questions.
Prof. Russell Thomas
WSP
+44 (0)7879 602509
Russ.Thomas@wsp.com
Gasworks and innovation specialist