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Local History - Kings Cross Gasometers - 25/06/01
When you head north out of Kings Cross Station, you'll notice huge gasometers - gas storage tanks - that dominate your view on the left hand side. These outstanding monuments to a bygone industrial age were originally erected in the 1860's by the Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company and then rebuilt by the Gas, Light and Coke Company between 1879 and 1881.
At the time, street and domestic lighting were provided by gas and gasometers were a common site in towns and cities throughout Britain.
The cast-iron holder cages, built in an era when even functional industrial architecture was highly decorative, are reminiscent of classical columns. The gasometers were still in use as recently as 1999.
The tanks were built to rise and fall as the amount of gas they contained varied - this movement was accomplished through the pressure of the gas they contained.
As part of the regeneration of the Kings Cross area, three of the six gas holders will be removed from their current site. The remaining three, on the corner of Camley Street and Goods Way and pictured here, will be dismantled and stored. Grade II Listed by English Heritage and the oldest on the site, they will be reassembled at a later date. |
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