| Description | The first Manchester gas works was built in 1817 by the Manchester Police Commissioners at Water Street (closed in 1837) to supply gas for street lamps and police offices on a commercial basis. To meet demand a second gas station was opened 1824 at St. George's Road, later to become known as the Rochdale Road Station. The Manchester Gas Act of 1824 made these arrangements official and set the areas of supply for the Police Commissioners Gas undertaking. Thirty 'Gas Directors' were appointed to oversee the work.Three further gas stations were opened by the Police Commissioners. Gloucester Street Gas Station opened in 1830 and was working until 1847. A very small station opened at Every Street, Ancoats and was in operation between 1831 and 1867. The purchase of Gaythorn Gas Station from Mr. James Fernley was allowed in July 1837 by AoP. Mr. Fernley had bought the works in 1831 from the Provincial Portable Gas Company (of London) who had founded the works in 1825. With the purchase of this station came the right to supply gas to Chorlton-upon-Medlock.On 24th June 1843 responsibility for the entire Manchester Gas undertaking was transferred from the Police Commissioners who had been the governing body of the town to Manchester Corporation. From 1843 to 1921 the gas undertaking contributed to the City fund in relief of the rates. The Corporation ran the undertaking through the Gas Committee and Gas Department.The Corporation continued to expand the undertaking and bought the Droylsden Station in 1869. This Gas Station was founded in 1851 by the Droylsden Gas Company and was run by them until 1856 when the firm dissolved. Droylsden New Gas Company Ltd. then took over the Station until the sale to Manchester Corporation in 1869. This site closed in 1949.The site for the Bradford Road Station was bought in 1870, building started in 1877 and gas making began in 1884. Major reconstruction and modernisation of this site took place between 1919 and 1923.The last gas station to be acquired by the Manchester Corporation was Partington, which opened in May 1929. The site was 175 acres and took over production from the Gaythorn Station which then became a distribution point, connected by mains to Partington, and later offices.Manchester Corporation Gas undertaking also opened and ran an electricity generating station between 1893 and 1897 when the Corporation created a separate electricity committee and responsibility was transferred.At Mode Wheel, on the Ship Canal ( purchased in 1896 from the Manchester Ship Canal Company) and at Lord Street (purchased in 1909 from the Deans and Canons of Manchester) the Gas undertaking owned wharfs and depots for the unloading of oil from ships. At Whitworth Street West (purchased 1861) and Poland Street (purchased 1851) there were also storage depots.The Gas Department began to hire out meters in 1861, stoves from 1885 and fires from 1911. The Cambridge Street Depot was opened to salvage, convert and repair gas appliances and a showroom was opened in Deansgate in 1895.On nationalisation in 1949 the Manchester Corporation undertaking became part of the North West Gas Board. This collection has been subdivided by specific works. The main group of records for the whole Corporation are listed at the beginning of the collection. They include estate, finance, legal, personnel, retail and technical records. There are also some escape books in the Incident series. |