Gasholders: A History in Pictures(Historic England)

Winner of the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s Publication Award 2025 Gasholders became one of the most instantly recognisable and iconic features on the landscape since they first appeared in the early 19th century. Their simple but precise engineering, durability and flexibility allowed then to operate over a span of 200 years. They witnessed times of great social change, from the early years of the industrial revolution, through countless wars, the reign of nine monarchs, strikes, suffrage, switch to natural gas and through the turn of the millennium. Using a mixture of archive and contemporary photographs, engineering drawings, prints, paintings, adverts and diagrams, the book captures the importance of these industrial structures on the English Townscape. From their very earliest beginnings the book captures their place on the gasworks and in wider society. Evolving from simple designs on a small scale through to becoming massive features dominating skylines and becoming local landmarks. Each chapter take a different perspective, covering the different types, the varying landscapes they inhabited, their place in society, the engineers who designed them and the people who built them. It finishes with a glimpse of how they will be reimagined for future generations.

About the Author :
National Grid is an energy company operating in the UK and the US. Our business plays a vital role in connecting millions of people to the energy they use while continually seeking ways to make the energy system cleaner. We enable the innovation that is transforming the energy system. Prof. Russell Thomas (Chapters 1-11) is a Technical Director at WSP and Chair of Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers History Panel. He has worked on former gasworks and gasholder sites through his career, investigating, remediating and documenting their history. In recent years he authored Historic England’s research report on the Manufactured Gas Industry and numerous other publications focused on different aspects of the industry, from forensic science to the conversion programme from town gas to natural gas. Dr. Timur Tatlioglu (Chapter 12) is a Partner in Montagu Evans' Historic Environment and Townscape team. He has particular expertise in advising clients on major and complex projects involving listed buildings, sensitive landscapes, conservation areas and tall buildings. He has provide heritage advice throughout National Grid’s Gasholder Programme.

Review :
‘Das vorliegende Buch gibt hier für England einen sehenswerten Überblick und verstärkt hoffentlich die Tendenz zur Erhaltung weiterer Exemplare.’ ‘This book provides a fascinating overview of England and will hopefully reinforce the trend towards preserving further examples.’ Axel Föhl, Industriekultur Translated from German ‘This book is an utter joy, packed with amazing pictures and drawings from a wide range of historical sources, most of which I had not seen before, as well as some stunning modern photographs of sites with surviving remains. I applaud National Grid, Historic England and the authors for their ambition in producing such a mighty tome — it deserves a place on the shelves (provided they are large enough) of anyone interested in the impact of industry on society.’ Ian West, Industrial Archaeology Review ‘Gasholders: A History in Pictures is addressed to all of us; the text is easy to understand […] and the fantastic pictures – photographs, advertisements etc. – must fascinate equally industrial heritage specialists/enthusiasts and those whose only contact with gasholders has been living in the same area with them.’ Katriina Etholén, The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology