World's oldest gasholder to be restored and opened to the public

"The world's oldest surviving gasholder is to be restored and repurposed as part of a housing development in west London. Hammersmith & Fulham Council has approved plans that will see the Grade II* listed Gasholder No.2 at King's Road Park restored, securing the future of a structure that will soon reach its 200th birthday. Built between 1829 and 1830, Gasholder No.2 is believed to be the oldest surviving gasholder in the world."

"It was designed by John Kirkham alongside Samuel Clegg - widely recognised as the world's first gas engineer - and its cast-iron tripod frame marked a major leap forward in industrial design. Gasholders were usually replaced as greater capacities were achieved with improvements in design and materials, making this gasholder a particularly rare example of an early design. What might have saved it is that older gasholders that were too small for operational requirements were sometimes used as "relief gasholders","

Grade II* Gasholder No.2 at King's Road Park will be dismantled, refurbished off-site and re-erected at the centre of a newly landscaped public space as part of a housing development in west London. Built between 1829 and 1830 and designed by John Kirkham with Samuel Clegg, the cast-iron tripod frame is the only surviving example of its type and is believed to be the world's oldest surviving gasholder. Surveys record severe corrosion and a Heritage at Risk listing, prompting urgent conservation. Original elements will be conserved and integrated into park seating, planting and interpretive water features, with backing from Historic England and industrial archaeology groups.

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