Gas Works
Gas Works
Linacre Gas Works (on Marsh Lane) was opened in 1867 by the ‘Liverpool United Gas Light Company’.
Coal was transported to the factory on a local railway line and by the Leeds-Liverpool canal (large cranes would lift the coal from the barges!)
Once delivered, it would be heated by a furnace to release gas in special containers called ‘retorts’. The gas was stored in giant ‘gasometers’ (the circular structures).
Gas Works in Liverpool
Did you know?
From 1965-1968, Bootle Fire Brigade were called out to the gasworks 36 times to deal with fires!
The gas works ran for over 100 years!
Gas Works from Overhead
The factory could produce gas from 500 tons of coal every day. It’s no wonder the workers went home with black faces from all the coal!
By the mid 1960s, Britain started to import natural gas from overseas. This meant that many of the gasworks were no longer needed and were closed. 2 gasometers at the Linacre works were demolished in 2011. Further demolition was planned in 2018.
Did you know?
During the Second World War, Linacre Gas Works was identified as a target by German bombers. We know this from discovering German maps of the area! Amazingly, although bombs were dropped, none of them damaged the factory.
Did you know?
The factories also made cable for use during World War Two. ‘Indicator cables’ were designed to detect enemy submarines (such as German U-boats) which could torpedo British ships.
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