| Description | The site for the Bradford Road Station was bought in 1870. After some initial objections, building started in 1877 after a cold winter placed a heavy demand on the existing supply of gas from the Gaythorn and Rochdale Road sites. Four small gasholders of 144 ft diameter were built sometime after 1878.In 1894, No.5, later called No.1, gasholder was built, diameter 250 ft. This was followed by a small gasholder of 80 ft diameter in 1896. In 1912, a huge gasholder of 282ft diameter, with a capacity of 10 million cubic feet, became the largest gasholder in Britain. Lastly came waterless M.A.N. type gasholder, known as the 'skyscraper', in 1931.Major reconstruction and modernisation of this site took place between 1919 and 1923. |