Site Record

Ystrad Gas and Water Company built a second gasworks at Porth. Not Present 1885 OS Map, but substantial gasworks built by 1900 OS map. The company was taken over by the Rhonda UDC in 1898. This was the "No.2 Gas Station" of the Ystrad Gas & Water Company, built in 1875-76. The Company, whose office was then at Merthyr Tydfil, invited tenders on 15/2/1875: - Contract No.1. A Gasholder tank 62' diameter, the gasholder, Boundary Walls and all buildings, and the supply and fitting of all Apparatus, with 6" and 8" Connexions, requisite in the construction of such Gasworks. Contract No.3. (No.2 was missing from the advert or merged with No.1) Laying about 10,000 yards of Street Mains. The Engineer was John Lees Cocker of the Merthyr Tydfil gas works. (Jnl. Gas Lighting, February 1875). A gasholder with cast-iron tank, made for Tunbridge Wells in 1864, was re-erected at Porth in 1883. The Company was purchased by the Rhondda UDC, who took control on 31/3/1898. Octavious Thomas was placed in charge at the same time. Porth was by then the major works. A tender advertised in the South Wales Daily News of the 16th of May 1900, requested the following “Contract No. 7. Installation of Mr W. R. Chester's 'Regenerator Furnaces. with all the necessary ironwork, at Porth Gasworks. Contract No. 8.—One Steel Cornish Boiler, 16 feet 4 inches long and 4 feet 6 inches diameter, with all necessary fittings, See., at Porth Gasworks.”. The Council purchased the stables of the (horse) Tramway Company in 1903 and as they were not required by the electric tramways half an acre was added to the one acre of the adjacent Porth gasworks. A tender which appeared in the Rhondda Leader (14th July 1906) required “The Council is prepared to receive Tenders for the Supply and Erection of a, Condenser, Washer, Scrubber, and Two Purifiers at the Porth Gas Works. The Drawings and Specifications may be seen, and Forms of Tender supplied upon application to Mr. Octavius Thomas, Engineer and Manager. Gas and Water Offices, Pentre, Rhondda”. Another tender was issued in 1910 (Rhondda Leader 25th June 1910) for “Tenders for a Steel Tar and Liquor Tank, Scrubber, and Two Purifiers, for their Porth Gas Works. Plans and Specifications MAY BE SEEN, and Forms of Tender obtained upon application to Mr. Octavius Thomas, the Engineer and Manager, Gas and Water Offices, Pentre, Rhondda”. Inclined retorts were later installed, and the ex-stables site used for purifiers. In 1912, O. Thomas read a paper "Repairs to a Leaky Gasholder Tank", this being the 2-lift column guided holder in a cast-iron tank. It was again out of action in 1920 (see Gas Journal 1/11/1922). The problems were due to colliery subsidence. In 1952 the “Gas World Year Book”, showed that Rhondda purchased 650m cu.ft. of gas Coke Oven gas and E. Jones was the engineer and manager. 1974 There was a single 3-lift column-guided holder in a steel tank. The railway alongside had been lifted. No further changes by 1982. The gasworks were visible on the 1898 to 1993 OS maps.