Southall is a district in the western arsehole of London in the borough of Ealing, not too far from Heathrow Airport. It doesn't boast too much, and is hardly the choice location for strolls in the wilderness, but not far from the railway lines is a 83 acre site that used to house the Southall Gas Works, who used to manufacture town gas for the surrounding area. The plant is now long gone, and the majority of the site is now used as a car park for nearby Heathrow.
However, what does remain on site is a 7,500,00 cubic feet, 300+ foot tall waterless gas holder that was constructed in the 1930's by the Gas Light and Coke Company. It's somewhat of a local landmark, which isn't surprising as the rest of Southall is pretty featureless and shit.
A curling staircase wraps up and around the structure, which is a nice change from the usual ladder and ironwork involved in climbing traditional water gas holders.
And they've covered it in bright red LED lights, at a guess to warn approaching aircraft of its presence, but it could also be to provide Southall residents with hope, and reassurance that the world isn't that bad after all.
Part of the site is still in use as a pressure reduction and storage facility of natural gas, and so National Grid who currently own the site have worked hard at trying to secure the perimeter from inquisitive passers-by.
Palisade fences, electric fencing, palisade fencing with electric on top, IR cameras, beam sensors and ladder cages are part of the repertoire they've got under their belt, which makes getting in a bit interesting, and very comical.
But once on top you get a fantastic view of absolutely nothing. Southall is flat, and the car park at the base is hardly a spectacle.
It's the structure itself that offers an impressive view, and by making your way inside you can take the concertina stairwell down to the bottom to fully appreciate the size of this monster.
Light spills in from the top of the tower, and the glossy, oily walls help reflect some of the light to the base.
I took two visits out to the holder. The first a night time visit with Gabe, Seffy, Monkey & WDW, and then a daytime revisit with Gabe to get some internals with decent light. We'd spoken to others about getting in here, so a big thanks goes out to @GAJ & @bhg for proving it was do-able, and helping out with bits and pieces.
Both times were a fun day/night out, although will be happy never to return to Southall.
However, what does remain on site is a 7,500,00 cubic feet, 300+ foot tall waterless gas holder that was constructed in the 1930's by the Gas Light and Coke Company. It's somewhat of a local landmark, which isn't surprising as the rest of Southall is pretty featureless and shit.
A curling staircase wraps up and around the structure, which is a nice change from the usual ladder and ironwork involved in climbing traditional water gas holders.
And they've covered it in bright red LED lights, at a guess to warn approaching aircraft of its presence, but it could also be to provide Southall residents with hope, and reassurance that the world isn't that bad after all.
Part of the site is still in use as a pressure reduction and storage facility of natural gas, and so National Grid who currently own the site have worked hard at trying to secure the perimeter from inquisitive passers-by.
Palisade fences, electric fencing, palisade fencing with electric on top, IR cameras, beam sensors and ladder cages are part of the repertoire they've got under their belt, which makes getting in a bit interesting, and very comical.
But once on top you get a fantastic view of absolutely nothing. Southall is flat, and the car park at the base is hardly a spectacle.
It's the structure itself that offers an impressive view, and by making your way inside you can take the concertina stairwell down to the bottom to fully appreciate the size of this monster.
Light spills in from the top of the tower, and the glossy, oily walls help reflect some of the light to the base.
I took two visits out to the holder. The first a night time visit with Gabe, Seffy, Monkey & WDW, and then a daytime revisit with Gabe to get some internals with decent light. We'd spoken to others about getting in here, so a big thanks goes out to @GAJ & @bhg for proving it was do-able, and helping out with bits and pieces.
Both times were a fun day/night out, although will be happy never to return to Southall.
Felt so good to finally get up here, and it just proves that it pays off to keep checking things eh.
