Former Gasometer Site, Spa Road

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 8 Jun 2016

The huge pit behind the fence is all that remains of one of the three historic gasometers on Spa Road (Image]) which have recently disappeared from the Bolton skyline. The National Grid began work in January 2016 to remove the gas holders as part of a national programme to regenerate old sites and put them to more productive use in the future. Nationally, gas holders were used to store coal gas or 'town gas' and later natural gas but improvements in the network mean that gas can now be kept in the pipe system or underground, with gas holders no longer needed for its storage. It is currently unclear what the site, which supplied gas across Bolton but has been not been used for several years, will be used for in the future. The Bolton Gas Light and Coke Co was first formed in 1818, and a small site works was built in Forge Street, later known as Gas Street. The site at Gas Street later became the main gas making works in Bolton. In 1886 a major reconstruction took place at the works, and adjoining land was acquired in order to expand. http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/14182464.Iconic_gasometers_to_disappear_from_Bolton_s_skyline/?ref=mr&lp=8 The Bolton News

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