In this second post about the Marian Place Gasholders, we will highlight a bit of their history and architectural and cultural significance, including the art they’ve inspired, and the public’s waxing and waning opinion from their beginnings until now. Thank you to Dr. Shapland for providing us with his comprehensive report that was put together in February of 2023. Images are all courtesy of the report, which you can access here.
“… the gasholders have gone from evoking awe, to symbolising the industrial despoliation of the landscape, to standing as landmarks for this part of Bethnal Green and once again inspiring awe, albeit tempered not with the enthusiasm for a brave new world of industry but with the melancholy of an historic monument made redundant by the passage of time.”
Let’s rewind a bit; what are these structures anyway, and what makes them so special?
The Marian Place Gasholders were constructed by the Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company in 1853 as an extension of Shoreditch works further down the canal. As the name suggests, gas holders were used to store gas created from burning coal, which brought light and heat to the surrounding area. (If you’re looking for a more detailed history of gasholders and how they worked, I’d suggest checking out the Historic England’s free publication here.)
At the time, they towered over the area and were, as Shapland (2024) notes in the report, celebrated as symbols of “the new technological age of progress.” However, as time went on, it became clear that they could be quite dangerous, evidenced by the multiple fatalities both at the site as well as in those around the city. This shifted public opinion and created a new mix of “awe and antipathy.”
By the mid-1960s, with the discovery of natural gas, coal gas was no longer being used, and by 2000, gasholders all over started being demolished (Historic England, 2020).
The two remaining gasholders at Marian Place, though different architecturally, are both significant in design. Shapland writes that “Gasholder No. 2’s guideframe is the oldest surviving large gasholder guide frame in the world, and the earliest and most architecturally elaborate example of the double-order, double-tier type surviving anywhere…” He notes it also “represents the third oldest surviving gasholder of any type in the world”
Gasholder No. 5 is one of the last remaining examples of its unique design, featuring a lattice guide frame and a minimalist aesthetic achieved by omitting diagonal cross-bracing.
Both gasholders exemplify the two most prominent 19th-century gasholder designs and are the only remaining pair situated side by side in all of London.
It is no wonder that these gasholders have remained significant to the local community, serving as both a landmark and piece of the landscape that defines the area’s past. This is highlighted by the countless artists, writers, and filmmakers that have drawn from their unique forms to explore various themes and work to preserve their cultural significance even as they are reimagined for the future.
