Gasometers and Gasworks

[poohbear 1,360]

I seem to remember a couple of years back one of our brilliant MPs pointing out that the Russians have us plonkers by the goolies.They're having the ability to turn off a large proportion of our source for gas to Western Europe at a whim.

'Because we haven't the storage facilities'

[Paulus 541]

Quite right, we only have a few months of LNG gas storage capacity in the UK, although this will increase over the next 5 years, however we'll always be reliant on gas supplied LNG or piped from Russia etc (or countries ending in 'stan) as we don't produce gas in the UK, with the exception of 'Shale Gas' which is very controversial presently.

The answer to our ongoing fuel needs still remains with electricity generation, probably from Nuclear Sector or from the new 'cold nuclear ' technology that will no doubt come.........................

[denshaw 2,871]

Was there a chap who did second hand motorbike spares from Fairfax terrace early seventies?

[Ashley 288]

Yes guy named Brian, aka "The Stripper"! . To start with he only had shop on the left of Fairfax Terrace which as a kid I recall open as a sweetshop, later he or chap he sold out to rented the other shop too.

A further clue as to age of map, and date of road change would be to look up at front apex of car sales shop Radford Rd/Reigate Rd corner, it has as did all former co-ops? a date slab there, next time I go past will check

EDIT.....Found this in picture the past, dated 1934 as nnsc said it would appear Valley Rd WAS there before Western Boulevard, It would appear East of Nottingham Road is all new but section from Radford Rd to former built "over" Fairfax Street? Fairfax Terrace can be seen, as can the "pallet works", the Nat West Bank set back on corner of Nottm Rd/Valley Rd and Shoulder Of Mutton, but whole "southside" of Fairfax Street has gone.The gasometers to the north also there in the down position, and Basford signal box.. I wonder if anyone can "enhance" the photo?

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

I wonder if anyone can "enhance" the photo?

Slightly......

[Beefsteak 305]

A bit of a before and after , not mutch better as it a blow up of a copy of a blow up etc !!

[Fynger 841]

Thas a lot clearer tho

[nnsc 131]

A further clue as to age of map, and date of road change would be to look up at front apex of car sales shop Radford Rd/Reigate Rd corner, it has as did all former co-ops? a date slab there, next time I go past will check

Only from memory Ashley, I think the date is 1901. Again I'll take some pics.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

Do it from the comfort of your living room

http://maps.google.c...67.75,,1,-43.69

[OLDACE 196]

Hi Paulus , you say in post 21 that we do not produce natural gas in the UK. At the moment Total are beginning a 2 Billion pound pound investment to bring gas from a new field in the Atlantic. It will come ashore at Sullom Voe here in Shetland, they then do something to it,don't ask me what, and it will be piped to St. Fergus on the Scottish mainland.

It surprises me that when a new gas or oil field is discovered in the North Sea or more increasingly now, in the Atlantic, there seems to be a news blackout in the national media. There are regular discoveries in the Atlantic as new technology opens up more fields.

[Ashley 288]

yes 1901, but thinking about it it's only tells us that map and the aerial photos are post that date! lol,

Used street view to go down Vernon Rd, that original stone wall that went round the corner onto Fairfax Street/valley Rd is still there, even by the look of it with the original door behind the bus stop that led to steps up to the higher level. On the enhanced photo (thanks) anyone notice the amount of wagons in the sidings for the gasworks? I've walked all over the site of the former sidings Whitemoor side of the MR mainline, pre tram days (latest ones!) and then there were still rails half buried etc inc some still in place on a bridge over the Leen, there were also more further on towards and almost up to Wilkinson Street

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

To prove there were other gasometers as well as those at Basford, here's one at the end of Triumph Road.

It's actually meant to be a photo of Radford Station, with the entrance building on the bridge at Ilkeston Road. The gasometer just happened to be in the background.

[StephenFord 866]

Going back to posts 9 and 12,, I wonder if the map (like more recent Geographia street maps) only showed the Corporation tramways? According to a published map of the tramway system in 1926, there were no Corporation trams along Church Street and beyond. This was exclusively Notts & Derby (Ripley rattlers) territory. Apparently the track was double as far as the end of the Dark Lane reserved track, but over Church Street bridge the two tracks were interlaced. I'm not sure whether this was because of clearance problems, or to ensure that two trams could not pass one another on the weak bridge.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

According to a published map of the tramway system in 1926, there were no Corporation trams along Church Street and beyond. This was exclusively Notts & Derby (Ripley rattlers) territory. Apparently the track was double as far as the end of the Dark Lane reserved track, but over Church Street bridge the two tracks were interlaced.

Stephen, if you look at Post #49 on this thread, the tram line shown comes to a stop from the Nuthall direction when it hits Dark Lane. I suspect that isn't what actually happened on the ground, so your theory may be correct; or the map people just forgot to keep going

http://nottstalgia.c...opic=5463&st=40

[Ashley 288]

Re the "weak" Church Street Bridge, am not so sure it would have been weak at date mentioned? can recall it being made one way maybe in late 1960's/early1970's? but the actual physical weight restriction ie the restriction to stop possibly 2 artics being side by side not in place till much later, can recall lorries passing 41 trolley buses on the bridge the latter heading toward Cinderhill, their return route in my memory was always via the bit of road joining Western Boulevard between the church and the health centre, that in early days had led to a small island with traffic from Old Basford being able to turn right towards Nuthall Rd etc and Western Blvd traffic from Sherwood able to do same into Old Basford, can't imagine that now!. At one time the last 6 (maybe more) council houses on the left heading east on Western Boulevard were under threat of demolition (1972) as a new road was planned to go via a viaduct over the redundant Basford Vernon railway station and yard and join up somehow somewhere with Arnold Road, I recall such being discovered when I planned to buy my then council house, (solicitor had proper plans, drawings etc), by time I did buy in1976 those plans had been shelved.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

'BUMP' Just found this one.

By the 1960s the only gas production plant in Nottingham was Radford Road Basford. Triumph Road had two gas holders for storage but its main purpose in life was as a depot for what was then known as Mains & Service. As the name suggests these where the guys who looked after/installed all pipework from the storage holders up to the gas cock in your home. Woodborough Road Depot corner of Huntingdon Street was the home of the fitters who looked after everything indoors.

I have a belief that production of coal gas was supplemented from the coking works at Stanton. Another thing they did was introduce a percentage of natural gas at the point of production. This increased the calorific value of the gas, so more heat for less volume of gas.

As to gas street lighting most side streets were gas lit at this time. If you remember you would occasionally see the man from the lighting company come round to wind the time clock and check the mantles and pilot burner. The mechanical clocks which controlled the lights were made by Sangamo and would only run for about 10 days before they needed a rewind.

The only place you will see these lamps in Nottingham now is in the Park, I have no idea where the estate crew get the spares but they seem to manage.

[The Engineer 614]

BUMP AGAIN

Just when did we get converted to natural gas in Nottingham? I was living in Bulwell at the time and recall they came round to see what appliances you had then on a second visit they replaced some parts. Don't know whether every appliance was capable of upgrade - did they make anyone scrap really old stuff? On the web I found it was a ten year programme 1967 to 1977 but hope someone here can narrow that down.

[Guest]

Our house was 1971- city centre..we noticed the different smell.

[The Engineer 614]

Looks like East Midlands was the first region in UK to be converted.

Here's a related article from Evening Post by a chap who was a fitter in Nottingham at the time.

http://www.nottinghampost.com/gas-70s-deaf-man-snoozing-armchair-caused-panic/story-17094347-detail/story.html

[The Engineer 614]

Our house was 1971- city centre..we noticed the different smell.

They added a chemical called mercaptan to the odourless natural gas (methane) to make it smelly.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

Just when did we get converted to natural gas in Nottingham? I was living in Bulwell at the time and recall they came round to see what appliances you had then on a second visit they replaced some parts. Don't know whether every appliance was capable of upgrade - did they make anyone scrap really old stuff? On the web I found it was a ten year programme 1967 to 1977 but hope someone here can narrow that down.

For some reason I remember that Clifton was converted during 1972.

[colly0410 1,181]

Bestwood Village was converted in 1971/72. I came home from work at Hucknall pit & it was all done & dusted, I missed all the fun, sulk..

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

#33 Yes there were some old appliances that could not be converted though they were few and far between. These were replaced free of charge during conversion.

The conversion process in a property was pretty straight forward, on the first visit they would note what appliances were in the property so come the day the fitter would arrive with the correct conversion kits made up of injectors burner etc.

The more difficult problem was external, for instance one road would need mains supplies of the new natural gas, whilst the next road not yet converted would still need it's supply of towns gas.

[Beduth 202]

Ashley Re: #11

As a member of Chard Street Kerbstone Bumpers and a pupil at Egypt Road Primary I well recall sneeking into the gasworks on Radford Road along with other gang members and climbing the framework of one of the gasometers and running around the top making one hell of a din. Crazy. And the water in the seals was b.... filthy. I also remember going down there with an old pram to buy coke. There was an old 'Puffing Billy down there if I recall correctly.

PS. I also recall scrumping pears from your back garden. Would that be correct?

[jonab 1,644]

Not quite on the subject of gas works but does anyone remember the gas mantle factory on Radford Road - opposite the gas works?

I was a bit further along from what is now No. 628 Radford Road (address found on Google SV) going towards the city. The actual gas mantle factory building seems to have gone.

I remember 628 Radford Road particularly as I had a dentist there. There was a doctor's surgery on the ground floor and the dentist (Brian Lawson) on the first - he was yet another butcher dentist I have had the misfortune to be treated by.

Datewise, I was still at school so it was late 1950's.

 

On a different aspect:

Year of natural gas conversion on Sherwood Rise was 1972.