St Edmundsbury Local History - Birth and death of Bury's last gasholder

Redundant Gasworks in 1970 seen from last gasholder
Town gas production ended in 1964

Birth and death of Bury's last gasholder

1952 to 2016
Page 1 of 2

Click images to enlarge

This aerial view of the Tayfen Road site shows the gas holder and general gas depot site opposite the Gas Works itself, which is out of site to the left side of the picture.
This was the last gasholder ever built in Bury St Edmunds. The site is shown from the air, in Tayfen Road, adjacent to Hervey's Clothing Factory. At its full height it was 22 metres tall, and held 13 tons of gas.
This picture shows the cap or dome of the gasholder. It had two telescopic sections which rose as the gas was manufactured and fell as it was depleted by users. The water seal which allowed this movement can just be seen on the lower left of the picture.

Being such a prominent landmark, the gas holder attracted a poll tax protest message in 1990.
This picture shows the gasholder still in use as part of the natural gas national grid in the early years of the 21st century. It would continue in use until decommissioned in 2011.
This picture shows the working gasholder viewed from Spring Lane, which also gives a view of St Johns Church.

In 2011 the town gas network was being upgraded and the gasholder was no longer required for the storage of gas. It was decommissioned and purged of gas, so that the telescopic sections sank out of sight. The access ladders to the upper sections remain looking incongruous.
This was the first notice given of the demolition of the gasholder. In October, 2014, it was fixed to the front gate of the remaining gas depot site in Tayfen Road. Demolition was scheduled for March, 2015, but it did not in fact begin until November, 2015.
Eventually, by November, 2015, three new notices were fixed to the site gate which explained some of the history of the gasholder, and described the way in which its demolition would be carried out. Unfortunately the left hand notice was quickly vandalised and torn down.

This picture shows the remains of the left hand notice, discovered discarded on a nearby carpark.
This notice describes the steps to be taken in the demolition process.
This notice addresses any safety concerns of local residents, and the timescales for making the land safe for redevelopment.

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Page created on 28th April, 2016
Last Updated 8th October 2016

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This aerial view of the Tayfen Road site shows the gas holder and general gas depot site opposite the Gas Works itself, which is out of site to the left side of the picture.	This was the last gasholder ever built in Bury St Edmunds. The site is shown from the air, in Tayfen Road, adjacent to Hervey's Clothing Factory. At its full height it was 22 metres tall, and held 13 tons of gas.	This picture shows the cap or dome of the gasholder. It had two telescopic sections which rose as the gas was manufactured and fell as it was depleted by users. The water seal which allowed this movement can just be seen on the lower left of the picture.
Being such a prominent landmark, the gas holder attracted a poll tax protest message in 1990.	This picture shows the gasholder still in use as part of the natural gas national grid in the early years of the 21st century. It would continue in use until decommissioned in 2011.	This picture shows the working gasholder viewed from Spring Lane, which also gives a view of St Johns Church.
In 2011 the town gas network was being upgraded and the gasholder was no longer required for the storage of gas. It was decommissioned and purged of gas, so that the telescopic sections sank out of sight. The access ladders to the upper sections remain looking incongruous.	This was the first notice given of the demolition of the gasholder. In October, 2014, it was fixed to the front gate of the remaining gas depot site in Tayfen Road. Demolition was scheduled for March, 2015, but it did not in fact begin until November, 2015.	Eventually, by November, 2015, three new notices were fixed to the site gate which explained some of the history of the gasholder, and described the way in which its demolition would be carried out. Unfortunately the left hand notice was quickly vandalised and torn down.
This picture shows the remains of the left hand notice, discovered discarded on a nearby carpark.	This notice describes the steps to be taken in the demolition process.	This notice addresses any safety concerns of local residents, and the timescales for making the land safe for redevelopment.