Gas Holder No.5, Southall - May 2015.
I'm on the fence with gas ironically, however there have been, and still are some iconic structures of industry up and down the country to be seen
For myself they made for a good climbing frame as a kid, when games consoles and other distractions didn't exist back in the day
Now as I say, I'm not 'fanatical about GAS' or climbing them like others
Don't get me wrong I've done a fair few now over the years and accumulated some pics for a rainy day, but really nothing to write home about, although I do find them quite photogenic
These things won't be around for much longer, so if you suddenly find yourself interested in them I'd get your skates on and get cracking!
Here is a recent article featured by the BBC which explains a little more > http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30405066
This ones a bit different, as the majority of them are of the telescoping variety
Telescoping holders fall into two subcategories:
The earlier of the telescoping holders were column guided variations and were built in Victorian time, they utilise an external frame to guide the telescoping walls, visible at a fixed height at all times
Spiral guided gas holders were built in the UK up until 1983, these have no frame and each lift is guided by the one below, rotating as it goes up as dictated by helical runners
And then there are M.A.N sized holders..
Southall Gasworks
Southall Gasworks was first established in 1869 with the Brentford Gas Company to meet the increasing demand for gas in Middlesex in the late 19th Century
Located on land between Beaconsfield Road and the Great Western Main Line.. Arse end of nowhere and now typically surrounded by the Heathrow long stay car park
In 1926 the Brentford Gas Company was taken over by the Gas Light and Coke Company (GLCC)
The Gas Light & Coke Company was just one of many companies in London that produced town gas. They owned the Southall site until 1949 when the plant then came under the control of the North Thames Gas Board
The site was passed over to British Gas Plc in 1973 and subsequently National Grid who own the site today
In total the site contained 5 gas holders, including the No.5 M.A.N holder which are still visible today although No.2 has long gone and only the below ground tank for No.1 remains
Gasholder No. 1 – built in 1869 - Capacity, (14,000 m³
Gasholder No. 2 – built in 1878 - Capacity, (32,000 m³)
Gasholder No. 3 – built in 1885 - Capacity, (59,000 m³)
Gasholder No. 4 – built in 1892 - Capacity, (112,000 m³)
Gas holder No. 5 - (Blue M.A.N gasholder) – built in 1930
I do have a soft spot for these big blue derps, I grew up near to one and we used to play on/in it before it was demolished
Most people consider them to be an eyesore, and to all intents and purposes they are
They have a certain appeal which is probably due to one of a few surviving relics from the industrial past I grew up around, that and cotton mills that soon enough will be wiped off the landscape forever
The trouble is, these day's a lot of these sites are quite tricky to access given some of the ridiculous security measures that have been imposed
We managed to successfully get into the Battersea holder station a couple of years ago for a look at No.7 before it was recently demolished and was reasonably satisfied
Like others, I'd always fancied a look at Southall, and having lived/worked in London and passed by here every often to and from the airport, you can't help but notice the local landmark which juts out from the landscape
You can see the thing from miles around given it's fairly flat around these parts
They even had to paint LH and an arrow on it to avoid pilots from incorrectly landing at RAF Northolt nearby instead of runway 23 at Heathrow, which is no longer
I'd been for a couple of visits to the site over the last few years, and although the perimeter fence is easy enough to bypass the 12ft leccy fence behind it wasn't looking good and was a fair challenge for anyone
There was simply no comedy access unlike some other sites using these fences I've seen/heard about
I'll also admit I've never put any effort into it either and did the typical trick of convincing myself it was shit, and besides I've got pics of No.7 which is identical etc
Rewind 18 months ago and Gaj told me he had a plan to get it done, it was ambitious but plausible, although I do remember a jovial "Fuck off" at the time
However having seen the pogo sticks in action, was fairly confident him and Keitei would pull this off, and indeed they went for it on the night of my birthday whilst I was back home
For anyone not having given the site a good going over, you may not appreciate what was involved on that particular evening, but it worked and they'd managed to crack what was suitably titled the fortnox of GAS
CHOP CHOP if you want to see this place, as Coleman & Co will be de-constructing it shortly, and in fact with some of the destruction used to gain access I was under the impression work had already started
That and hearing tales of people being spotted I thought I'd take a look before it's inevitably too late, as on a previous visit there were workers doing some kind of surveying on site and I had to walk away empty handed
In for the kill bruv
On with some pics of No.5 itself, as we proceeded to climb the external staircase which winds itself up and around the 90m holder
Are we there yet.. time for a breather
A few more metres and we reached the top deck, could have done with a kronie at this point
F00k me, there's only a lift
Up top
Shit views
Holder Station 960 and old Gas works site
Time for a look inside, as night time visits in these places make for shit pics and fill light specials
The locked hatch might well afford access for skinny fuckers and people with keys, sadly a fail on both counts
We opted for a more interesting way inside, as Battersea holder No.7 was a walk in once up top, however this one isn't and getting it wrong is an unforgiving 90m drop
After weighing up a couple of safe routes we were soon down inside and onto the walkway below the top breather
A gantry leads onto the internal suspended/collapsible staircase which heads down through the middle of the holder and is fully height adjustable as the piston moves up and down
Internally, these things look amazing with natural lighting
Thats all folks!
