Isn’t it remarkable that we are standing before the world’s oldest surviving gasholder? This is Gasholder No 2, Fulham. It stands as a testament to London’s pioneering role in the gas industry. Constructed between 1829 and 1830, Gasholder No 2, Fulham was designed by John Kirkham. He was an engineer of the Imperial Gas Light Company. Mr Ward Junior and Mr Wright were the contractors.
Back then, gas lighting was taking off. It was invented in the 1790s. From 1816 it spread throughout London. Gasworks were essential. They stored coal and extracted gas. They also had plants to remove impurities. Gasholders stored the gas. The water-sealed design was adopted early on. A bell, or gas vessel, sat in a water-filled tank. This sealed in the gas. It rose or fell depending on how much gas was stored.
Early gasholders were housed inside buildings. The bell hung from the roof by a chain and weight. This practice stopped in the 1820s. Concerns grew about explosions from trapped gas. Larger gasholders needed guide frames. These frames kept the bell steady as it moved. Around 1825, free-standing cast-iron tripods appeared. From 1835 multiple columns linked by girders became common.
The Fulham Gasworks started in 1824. The Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company bought the Sandford Manor estate. It was a previously agricultural area being industrialized by the Kensington Canal. The company had been founded in 1821. It quickly grew. They had works on the Regent’s Canal at Shoreditch and St Pancras. Samuel Clegg, the company engineer, built two gasholders in 1825. These had free-standing cast-iron guide standards. They were tripod-shaped. These tripods supported the bell as it rose.
The completion of the canal and a retort house allowed gas production to begin in 1829. Before that, gas was stored from the St Pancras Gasworks. The works expanded. Gasholder No 2, Fulham was built in 1829-30. An office block followed in 1856. Between 1853 and 1867 three more gasholders were built. Barges brought coal via a lock off Chelsea Creek.
The 1869 OS map shows five gasholders. There were retort houses and offices. The Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company was absorbed in 1876. It became part of the larger Gas Light and Coke Company. Two more holders were built south of Sands End Lane in 1878 and 1880. A research lab was added in 1927. In 1949, the company was nationalized. It became the North Thames Gas Board. By this time, most early gasholders had been rebuilt. Only Nos 2 and 7 remained. Decommissioning began in 2010. The eastern part was cleared for redevelopment.
John Kirkham designed Gasholder No 2, Fulham. The tripods had roundels. These added structural strength. There were twelve tripods. They stood 30 feet high around the 100 feet diameter tank. The gasholder held 226000 cubic feet of gas. This was record-breaking then. In 1830, a 40000 cubic feet gasholder was considered large. The jump to 226000 was called a remarkable feat. The bell rose from a 30-foot-deep brick tank. It had wrought-iron trusses. It was covered in wrought-iron sheets. Repairs were done in 1882 and 1949. The gasholder was in constant use for nearly 120 years. Fulham No 2 Gasholder was in use until 1971.
Each tripod is tee-shaped. The roundels diminish in size. One tripod has a plate with the number 2. Another has an access ladder. The iron bell has a domed crown. It has a wrought-iron framework. The framework is joined with handmade bolts and nuts. Original fitters’ marks were visible in 1949. The sides of the bell rest on the tank bottom. The bell has guide carriages with rollers. The brick tank is 100 feet in diameter. A low brick wall surrounds it.
So here stands Gasholder No 2, Fulham. It is a reminder of London’s gaslight era. It is a Grade II listed structure. It is a testament to Victorian engineering. It is a unique survivor.