Beckton gas works history book

Dec 26, 2009 ive dug out a little booklet on coal gas and its history, though more specifically about gas lighting. More housing was needed as london grew, so housing was created in beckton for workers at the gas and sewage works. It closed in 1969 following the introduction of natural gas. Beckton gas works news and updates from the economic times. When beckton gas works was opened in 1870 it was situated close to the docks and far enough away from the populous areas of london to prevent city dwellers being inconvenienced by its effusions. Full size becktons railways and locomotives western. Beckton gas works history east london victorian industry.

The story ranges from rural life, the bombing of industry in the last war, to the. Originally quite large, it is essentially a former toxic spoilheap from the nearby gas works which operated for 100 years from 1870 to 1970, and in the 1980s the hill was landscaped into a smaller hill which, for a while, was home to a dry ski slope. If he just wanted to make a vietnam war flick with no jungle just because, or if he likely, he was kubrick had a message by picking basically the only major urban action of the conflict. How we made stanley kubricks full metal jacket film. One of williams daughters, berthe married into the duquenoy family and in 2009 i was contacted by simon duquenoy who was researching his family history. Ive just finished reading the geoff marshal book, londons industrial heritage it mentions that the courts of the glc resolved in 1868 that the gas light and coke company, their new works and property near barking creek should henceforth be known as beckton, after their governor simon adams beck. Apr 03, 2017 old west ham to stanley kubricks beckton.

History of beckton gas works east london the site of the beckton gasworks really was huge, covering over 500 acres. During the filming a lot of the old gas works were blown up. Buy east and west ham past 1st edition by jim lewis isbn. London from the inside monday 15th sunday 21st may 2017.

Land at armada way, beckton, e6 7er circa 30 acres 12. Jun 01, 2009 the beckton alps is the highest point in beckton, east london. Part 2 greater london industrial archaeology society. The mortlake gasworks of the australian gas light company agl opened 23 may 1886. The new works were modelled on the beckton works in east london, and agls engineer, thomas bush had previously been employed at beckton. The photos and text excerpted below provide a brief history of one of haags best know public works, the rehabilitation of gas works park in seattle. Beckton gas works opened in 1870, operating under various names and in various industries until 1969. There is a broad outline of the actual railway and how it operated on a day to day basis, but more detail of the extensive internal wagon stock would have enhanced the value of the book. Beckton gasworks was a major london gasworks built to manufacture coal gas and other products including coke from coal. Behindthescenes facts about the movie full metal jacket. The beckton gas works were formally closed down after 100 years of gas production. Becktons railways and locomotives gives a marvellous insight into this fascinating corner of londons industrial past.

Apr 15, 2015 the photos and text excerpted below provide a brief history of one of haags best know public works, the rehabilitation of gas works park in seattle. Another family connection provides an extraordinary coincidence with the beckton gas works and the picture with william sugg above. Grenfell tower would have collapsed if had been built four years earlier, a structural engineering expert has said. This was once the biggest gas works in the world, producing much of londons gas from coal. Beckton simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Such an atypical example of how and where most of the combat in vietnam happened. Beckton, newham the former home of the worlds biggest gasworks and subsequently a docklands development area, situated west of barking creek and north of the royal albert dock the first intrusion into the hitherto empty east ham levels was the construction of the northern outfall sewer in 1864, pouring raw waste into the thames until the building of a treatment works 25 years later. A very handsome victorian loco with a good history. Coal gas was first used for public street lighting on pall mall in london in 1807, and the worlds first gas company was established in london in 1812, delivering gas through wooden pipes. The history of london s famous gas works the east end was a hive of industry in the late 1800s. Becktons railways and locomotives embsay station book shop. May i write about the story behind the collapse in the book concretopia. Beckton was unpopulated marshland adjacent to the thames until the development of major industrial infrastructure to support the growing metropolis of london.

The bulk of the book concerns itself with very short potted histories of individual locos, each with primary dimensions and a photograph. The book is mainly about the locomotives that worked at beckton. He then made the movies art director knock specific holes in certain buildings using a wrecking ball, and blow up certain buildings. Bill byford, who worked throughout the war at beckton gas works, is now 92 and his son allen thought it would be a good idea to get some of bills first hand recollections down on paper for future. Housing was created in beckton for workers of the gas and sewage works. This book has many excellent photos, mostly of locos obviously, and ive found addition information in londons east end railways by d.

Photo by sven loach, in the londonist flickr pool stanley kubrick was a child of the bronx but he ended up in a decadeslong fling with england. Any views represented in the book are the authors personal views. Gasworks arts park, was originally the south melbourne gas plant. Beckton gas works, on the north bank of the river thames in east ham, supplied londoners with town gas made from coal.

The sewerage works has been expanded to handle the flow from the thames tideway scheme. More housing was needed as london grew, so housing was created. Those who lived in the era when town gas was produced in local gasworks will remember them as devilishly grim and grimy places, covered in a film of coal dust and emitting pungent odours. Scroll to the bottom of this post to learn about upcoming opportunities to meet richard haag and author thaisa way. Section of the fulham factory that makes gas from coke. Beckton is named after simon adams beck, the governor of the gas light and coke company when work building beckton gas works began in november 1868. When it opened it was the largest gas works in europe. In general, gas works ceased production in the mid to late1960s when natural gas from the north sea began to be pumped ashore and distributed around the national networks. Better and more detailed maps would have been welcome. Full size becktons railways and locomotives western thunder. West ham was mainly heavy industry, with east ham having the royal albert dock and the beckton gas works. A goods service operated to beckton but this was withdrawn during march 1930. In order to turn the beckton gas works into a replica of hue after attacks, stanley kubrick is said to have used still photographs taken in 1968 as his inspiration.

It has been variously described as the largest such plant in the world and the largest gas works in europe. The history and operation of gasworks manufactured gas plants in britain. Media in category gasworks in the united kingdom the following 95 files are in this category, out of 95 total. Coal was hauled from the town pier at the end of bay street, port melbourne by horse drawn tram.

Americas first gas company was established in baltimore, maryland in 1816. Bill byford, who worked throughout the war at beckton gas works, is now 92 and his son allen thought it would be a good idea to get some of bills first. Quirky standard gauge industrials can always make good modelling projects. Beckton gas works legacy the site buildings and structure now no longer exist, but the gasworks has left some legacy in the area in the form of the beckton alps. National union of gasworkers spartacus educational. Feb 23, 2017 the first mention of the area was in the doomsday book in 1083, whi.

In march, 1889, workers from the beckton gas works were laid off. After the discovery of natural gas in the north sea, the works were closed and part of the site was redeveloped. It was built by the south metropolitan gas works from 1881. Beckton was located primarily in the parish of east ham. Situated north and east of the royal docks, the area was formerly heavily industrialised, and was the location of beckton gas works, the largest gasworks in europe, which served the capital. A search has been going on for former workers of the old beckton gasworks in east london to help rescue the history of one of britains.

When londoners went skiing on a toxic spoilheap londonist. Picturesque, in her book, was the opposite of beautiful. This book has many excellent photos, mostly of locos obviously, and ive found addition information in londons east end railways by d brennand and branch lines around north woolwich by j e connor. Also included are details of the neighbouring outfall and sewage works that had its own railway, and also saw a host of contractors engines engaged there over the years.

One of the speakers at the meeting, will thorne, suggested that the gas workers formed their own union to protect themselves from the power of their employers. North sea production did for the manufacture of gas at beckton. Garry lavin the naked tv presenter bbc show how a gas holder works duration. Agls earlier gasworks at darling harbour had opened in 1837.

Cinema lovers wont want to miss this weeks blog all the film festivals that are coming up, famous film locations in london and some of the best of over 100 cinemas in the capital. Heres some footage from the walk i did for chapter 2 of my book this other london in the summer of 2012, just before the london olympics starting in leytonstone then going past west ham church and the site of stratford langthorne abbey onwards to the site of beckton gas works where stanley kubrick shot much of his vietnam war movie full metal jacket. It is however primarily a history of the locomotives at beckton gas works. It seems while there were several experimenting with it in the 1700s, it was in the birmingham factory of boulton and watt that william murdoch from redruth in cornwall, used it to illuminate the factory at the soho works in 1803. Throughout most of its history, much of beckton was flat, low lying marshland. In 1872, shortly before his retirement, frederick winsor jnr, a director of the glcc, recommended that the company should establish its own autonomous chemical byproducts works, because of the dislocation of the coal tar market by the franco prussian war. A large part of the old depot was converted into a vietcong village for the film full metal jacket. Beckton was unpopulated marshland until the 19th century.

In the 19th century, when the east of london was used to serve the needs of the west, the gas light and coke company bought 540 acres in the area and in 1870 opened europes largest gas works, serving the whole of london. I have some members of my family who have worked at becton around the time of your book. Originally quite large, it is essentially a former toxic spoilheap from the nearby gas works which operated for 100 years from 1870 to 1970, and in the 1980s the hill was landscaped into a. The book covers beckton gas works, beckton product works, and beckton water works.

Feb 24, 2017 beckton today although the gas works closed, it did not go down without a fight, literally. This is listed in the railway clearing house handbook for 1895 but it had gone by 1904. A very well produced volume with superb photographs. The history and operation of gasworks manufactured gas. As with many areas of the east end, it took many years to deal with the fallout as industries moved away from the area and to manage regeneration after the second world war. Another byproduct, coke, was sold to a wide domestic market. Innovation in 1854, aged 22, james howden set up his own consulting engineering business in glasgow, scotland, competing against professional engineers of. Railway bylines also did a short series on the beckton branch. Beckton today although the gas works closed, it did not go down without a fight, literally. Beckton gas works this was once the biggest gas works in t flickr.

Gas workers from all over london held a protest meeting on sunday, 31st march. The buildings of beckton gas works no longer exist. Search for former workers of giant beckton gasworks latest east. A separate private station named beckon gas works was sited within the works. Beckton gasworks was a major london gasworks built to manufacture coal gas and other. Featured in the september 2012 issue of heritage railway. How we made stanley kubricks full metal jacket film the. East london history has a photo of the gas works in their prime. The new works were modelled on the beckton works in east london, and agls engineer, thomas bush had. Media in category beckton gas works the following 22 files are in this category, out of 22 total. All we had to do was put signs on it and blow it up. The former home of the worlds biggest gasworks and subsequently a docklands development area, west of barking creek and north of the royal albert dock.

Ive dug out a little booklet on coal gas and its history, though more specifically about gas lighting. The rapid expansion of the gas light and coke co led to the need for a large transport fleet. Many such works had their own private lines for transporting coal for the process of extracting gas from it, and some had both standard and narrow gauge systems. Bryan donkin co pioneers the use of gas boosting at beckton gas works in uk.

Every type of transport was used and usually owned by the company. The beckton alps is the highest point in beckton, east london. Between 1981 and 1995 beckton was within the london docklands development corporation area. Formed in 1872, it began supplying gas in 1873, operating 24 hours a day and employing several hundred men. Beckton gas works was the biggest in europe, with huge internal railway operated by numerous and distinctive cutdown locomotives, running through out the gas works and adjacent products factory. Anand tandon stagger your investment and be prepared for the long haul, says the independent analyst.