Site Record

Complaints were made of the gasworks in 1858, with the local complaints that the gasometer was a nuisance and should be moved elsewhere. The gasometer was the private property of Messrs Cullimores and Williams (Monmouthshire Merlin 24th April 1858). The company owning the gasworks was known as the Tredegar Gas Company in 1868. By 1873 the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company had established private water works and gasworks (that referred to above). An Additional large gasholder added between 1879 and1899. The Tredegar Water and Gas Act of 1878 incorporated the Tredegar Water & Gas Company, enabling the Iron & Coal Company to separate those businesses from their main activities. In 1883 The Tredegar Water and Gas Company, had authorised capital of £60,000, in 1881 it had produced 24m cu.ft. of 14 cp gas from 1718 tons of coal. (The Cardiff Times 20th January 1883). In 1882 a new Tredegar Water and Gas Act empowered the Local Board (later UDC) to purchase the gas undertaking, the manager was Henry F. Wells. A third gasholder was added between 1901 and 1920. The annual gas production in 1900 was 23m cu.ft. of 14 cp gas from 2569 tons of coal. The annual gas production in 1915 was 59.6 cu.ft. of 14 cp gas from 6295 tons of coal. The annual gas production in 1928 was 69.8 cu.ft.. A 24-ton/day continuous vertical retort plant was built by Woodall-Duckham in the 1920s. By the 1938 the annual gas production had risen to 98m cu.ft.. From 5,593 tons of coal. This had dropped back to 92m cu.ft. in 1945, after which new plant was added including retorts and condensers. In 1952 the “Gas World Year Book”, showed that Tredegar manufactured 161m cu.ft. of gas using Vertical Retorts. S. L. Filer was the engineer and manager. Gas production had ceased at Tredegar in 1955, but three spiral gasholders remained in use as a gasholder station storing gas from the easter section of the South Wales Gas Grid which had been built in 1951. The gasworks were visible on the 1878 to 1985 OS maps.