| Description | In 1840 William Jackson tendered for the work of lighting Birkenhead with gas. He began the undertaking but sold it very quickly to the Birkenhead and Claughton Gas and Water Company. The works were built at Thomas St / Hind St. In 1858 the undertaking was purchased by an Act of Parliament by Birkenhead Corporation. An additional area of land was purchased at Laird Street where a gasholder station was built. The works at Thomas St were reconstructed in 1908 and the carburetted water gas plant was rebuilt. In 1924 the gas works were again modernised By 1926 the area of supply covered the Borough of Birkenhead, Bebington, Bromborough, Poulton-cum-Spital, Neston, Thornton Hough, Bidston-cum-Ford, Upton, Prenton, Noctorum and other surrounding villages. In 1949 it was vested in the Wirral group of the NWGB. This collection contains only estate and technical records. There are 50 items in the estate series including architectural drawings, plans of Thomas St and Laird St and drawings of plant. There are also a small nunber of mains registers. |