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Did you know that the oldest surviving gasholder in the entire world can be found in Fulham? The imaginatively named Gasholder No.2 is nearing 200-years-old. It was designed by Samuel Clegg (a man widely recognised as the world’s first gas engineer) alongside a guy called John Kirkham, and built between 1829 and 1839. At that time, it was the largest gasholder to have ever been built and is still considered a ‘remarkable feat in design’.
Of course, at that age, Gasholder No.2 is looking more than a little weary. The cast iron structure has been plagued by severe corrosion over the years and is currently on Historic England’s list of heritage structures at risk. But now Hammersmith and Fulham Council has given the official thumbs up to plans that will save it.
The newly-approved plans by Berkeley Group are part of a wider development of the area. They’ll involve the landmark being dismantled, refurbished and then re-erected at the centre of a new public park with seating, planting and water installations. Large parts of the gasholder are past the point of being salvageable but those that are will be restored offsite and reassembled within the park. It should look as good as new in time for its 200th birthday.
The proposals have been enthusiastically welcomed by heritage groups like Historic England, the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society and the Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group.
Tom Foxall, regional director at Historic England, said: ‘We’re delighted with St William’s plans for the Grade II-listed Fulham Gasholder, the oldest surviving gasholder in the world. This thoughtful proposal will secure the long-term future of this unique piece of pioneering Georgian engineering and allow its removal from our Heritage at Risk Register.
‘For the first time in its history, the public will be able to experience the gasholder’s intricate wrought-iron truss structure as part of an exciting new public space. These plans demonstrate how sensitive restoration can breathe new life into our industrial heritage, an approach St William are championing across many of their sites.’
The wider King’s Road Park development being built on the former gasworks site will include 1,800 new homes, six acres of public open space and 70,000 square feet of commercial and community space. It’ll also see the restoration of war memorials, the gasworks’ former Research Laboratory and the Chief Engineer’s Office.
Did you see that this south London gasholder could be turned into a public swimming pool?
Plus: Inside the plan to use the River Thames to heat iconic London landmarks.
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