National Grid has welcomed local people to get a glimpse of the industrial past at the site of the dismantling of their gasholder on Saxon Street in Miles Platting.
The gasholder was built in 1892 but has not been used as part of the national gas system since the early 2000s. It's being dismantled as part of National Grid’s nationwide programme to bring former gasworks sites back into use.
Residents are working with Dr Jenna Ashton from Manchester University on a range of activities looking at the local environment and community resilience under the stresses of climate change.
“The gasholder is part of the local history of industrial energy production,” she said.
“A lot of the group have fond memories of the gasholder and it has been great to be able to get such a unique view of it. National Grid is filming the works for the Manchester Archive and a number of the group were able to contribute to that film today.”
The gasholder guide frame stands over 30m high, with a diameter of 77m and a tank 15m deep. Work to dismantle the gasholder is expected to be complete in the summer.
Nadia Dew, Regeneration Manager at National Grid, said: “We recognise that gasholders are important to local communities. As well as the visits and the film, we’re working on a history booklet of the former Bradford Road Gasworks site, looking at donating parts of the gasholders to local organisations and undertaking heritage recording. This will ensure the history of the site is captured for future generations to understand the role gasholders played in our industrial heritage.”
