Wigan Gasworks Reconstruction, 1943-1948 & History

1822 - Share Certificate

History of Gas - Courtesy of the Natural Gas Museum

1667 – Thomas Shirley described an inflammable gas seeping from coal measures, near Wigan.

1684 – John Clayton produced coal gas from the destructive distillation of coal, and stored it in bladders.

1727 – Carlisle Spedding lit his office at Whitehaven colliery with methane, from his coal mine.

1792 – William Murdoch lit his house at Redruth, Cornwall by gas produced in an iron retort.

1801 – In Paris Philippe Lebon publicly demonstrated gas lighting.

1806 – Gas lighting was installed in cotton spinning mills by Samuel Clegg (Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire) and William   Murdoch (Manchester)

1807 – Frederick Winsor demonstrated gas street lighting in Pall Mall, London.

1807 – London’s Golden Lane was lit by gas which was produced at a nearby brewery.

1814 – Frederick Accum wrote the first authoritative text book on gas manufacturing.

1817 – Samuel Clegg developed the gas meter.

1824 – Tate invented the telescopic gasholder.

1826 – James Sharp installed an experimental gas cooker at his house, in Northampton.

1855 – Robert Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner.

1856 – The first practical gas fire was produced by Pettit and Smith.

1870 – T S Lacey patented the first prepayment gas meter.

1887 – The glowing gas mantle was invented by Carl Auer.

1923 – Thermostatic controls on gas ovens were introduced.

1949 – Nationalisation of the gas industry.

1953 – Gas was first manufactured from oil, in reformer plants.

1964 – First shipment of natural gas from Algeria arrived in Britain.

1965 – North sea gas was discovered in the West Sole field.

1968 – Natural gas conversion programme starts at Burton on Trent.

1976 – Natural gas conversion programme completed.

1986 – Privatisation of the gas industry, creating British Gas plc.

1997 – British gas plc split into Centrica and BG Group.