Imperial Gas Light and Coke Co
The Imperial Gas Light and Coke Co served an area from Pimlico to Whitechapel, ie areas north of the Thames.
1821 Company founded[1] as Imperial Gas Light Co[2]
1822 Built the St Pancras works at Battlebridge Road.
1823 Built Shoreditch works at Whiston St.
The Imperial company expanded by taking over several small companies. In 1823 the Imperial Co. took over Calson's Undertaking, in Dutton St. and closed down the works in 1825 once the Pancras works were fully operational. In 1829 the plant was transferred to Fulham.
1824 Built the Fulham works were built at Sands End Lane and first operated as a holder station, with Samuel Clegg as its first engineer.
1824 Acquired McKintosh's Undertaking in Limehouse and closed it down.
1825 it took over Whitechapel Road Gas Light and Coke Co. which had works at Bow. The manufacturing plant was closed down and the gasholders supplied from Shoreditch, until the whole works was sold to the British Gas Light Co. in 1829.
1827 the company, Imperial Gas Light and Coke Co[3], considered manufacturing chemical by-products and the Directors allocated money for building a tar and ammonia products works at Millwall but the plan never came to fruition[4].
After the 1829 Act was obtained, the British Gaslight Co extended its area of supply to districts previously supplied by the Imperial Gas Co, including the acquisition of the works off Bow Road in Bow.
1841 Premises at 33 John St, Bedford Row, and Great Cambridge St, Hackney[5]
1862 Three gasworks:
- The Pancras station, at Battle Bridge near King's Cross
- Whiston St., Shoreditch (also described as Hackney Rd Works, Great Cambridge St[6])
- Fulham
1862 Harry Chubb was appointed Secretary of the Imperial Gas Light Co, at a time when that Company was seeking powers for the enlargement of its works.
Mr Haley was the foreman of articifers.
1865/6 tried to enlarge its works at Fulham and erect new works at Bow but was rejected by Parliament on both occasions[7]
1870 Developed gas works at Bromley on the east bank of the River Lea[8] which became operational in 1873 and was meant to rival Beckton.
1873 One of 9 companies supplying gas to the London metropolis[9]
1874 John Field was the accountant.
c.1876 Amalgamated with the Gas Light and Coke Co[10]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The history of the Gas Light and Coke Company, 1812-1949
- ↑ The Times, Jul 15, 1825
- ↑ The Times, Jan 12, 1827
- ↑ Chemicals from Coal, by C A Townsend [1]
- ↑ Post Office London Directory, 1841
- ↑ The Engineer 1862/03/21
- ↑ The Engineer 1870/02/04
- ↑ The Buildings of England, London 5: East. By Bridget Cherry, Charles O'Brien, Nikolaus Pevsner
- ↑ The Times, Aug 28, 1873
- ↑ The Times, Jul 08, 1876
- [2] National Archives