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Summary

Gas tanks shown on early 19th century mapping, but demolished by early 20th century

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Conservation Area: Newbury Town Centre

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• National Monuments Record No.: SU 46 NE 328
  SU 47337 66922

Monument Type(s):

• GAS WORKS (Built, 19th century to Late 19th century - 1825 AD? to 1880 AD?)

Full Description

Two circular tanks and associated buildings are mapped on the First Edition Ordnance Survey <1> but are known from other maps as far back as 1838 <2><3>. The land seems to have originally been owned by the St Mary's Almshouses Charity, and the gas works were adjacent to the old workhouse, gaol and school. The road in which they were sited became known as Gashouse Road by the 1880s.

The industrial site seems to have largely been cleared at the turn of the twentieth century although one tank then remained <4>. Another Gas Works had been built in Newbury about 400m to the east, north of the railway line (MWB18035). By the early 20th century, there appears to be no trace of the gas industry in Newbury's historic core and the name Gashouse Road was eventually changed to Kings Road West.

Roberts recorded the site of the gasworks in 1969 <6>; he noted that they were erected in 1824 and demolished in 1880. There were two gasholders and a retort house, and the stables and some other buildings had remained until at least 1969 but had been demolished since. The West Berkshire Museum has a photograph showing the buildings under demolition, said to be in 1982 or 1983 <8>.

An article on the history of Newbury's gas works <9> noted that a private company was formed to construct the first buildings in 'Gas House Lane', although the borough of Newbury Corporation purchased the undertaking in 1878. Newbury and Speenhamland was first lit by gas street lights on 29/12/1825, and the first public building to be lit by gas was the Waterside Chapel.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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