Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

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Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 164,617 pages of information and 246,219 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

City of London Gas Light and Coke Co

From Graces Guide

of Dorset Street, London

The City of London Gas Light and Coke Co served the City, Aldgate and part of Whitechapel.

1813 William Knight started a private undertaking in Fetter Lane off Fleet Street.

1814 Knight moved his works to Dorset St. in Blackfriars, after a prosecution for "endangering the health of the inhabitants" and formed the City of London Gas Light and Coke Company

1816 Proposed merger with the Gas Light and Coke Co. failed

1817 The company gained statutory powers and was incorporated under the City of London Gas Act 1817 to supply the cities of London and Westminster and the Borough of Southwark.

By 1819 The company's shares (was this a reference to this company?) were being traded[1]

1819 the City of London Company took over the Aldgate Gas Light and Coke Co closing their works at Castle Alley immediately and their Goulston Square works in 1823.

The company had a by-products works at Milwall, where pitch was produced prior to 1820. The business was not profitable, however, and the works closed down in 1821[2]

By 1820 the City of London company had built a new works on river front land at the junction of Dorset St. and New St.

1821 The original Dorset works was demolished to become the new work's coal store.

1870 After the passing of the City Gas Act, the company amalgamated with the Gas Light and Coke Co [3]

1873 The Blackfriars works was closed


  • At the City Gas Works, in Dorset Street, Blackfriars, the quantity of coal carbonized daily amounted to three chaldron, which afforded a quantity of gas adequate to the supply of 1,500 Argand lamps.


See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. The Times, Nov 20, 1819
  2. Chemicals from Coal by C A Townsend [1]
  3. The Times, Apr 29, 1873
  • [2] National Archives