Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Hind Street Gas Works area & Thomas Street

It is coke - I remember those big mounds very well. As Chris says, coke is produced from coal.

I'm not sure what the process is - possibly it is steamed - but I think basically they extracted gas from the coal, and the gas was stored in those two big gasometers that used to dominate the area.

The gas was called coal gas, or town gas, and was very poisonous, unlike today's methane gas.

The extraction process left coke, which was a virtually smokeless, very hot-burning solid fuel. I don't know if you can actually buy coke anywhere these days.

When I was about 4, I used to turn on the gas fire in my parents bedroom and sit by the un-lit fire and sniff the gas. I used to love the smell, so Mum told me. No wonder I`m as daft as a brush, my own little gas chamber.

With the Wallasey gas tanks, did they just contain gas at the works?. I dont remember anything there except the tanks, no workings.

If there were only tanks, the gas must have been produced elsewhere and piped there for storage. A works for producing gas was a big affair; not easily missed.
The production of coal gas is done by heating coal in furnaces with a very limited supply of oxygen. The process is called destructive distillation. The products are coke, gas and coal tar (which was itself a valuable product and was the source of chemicals, dyes etc.)
@yoller; yes, you can still get coke. It's used mainly in forges. These days it's a lot more expensive than coal; I've seen it for sale at £16 for 20Kg.

There's a small town gas plant turned into a museum up in Scotland somewhere , they actually used brushes in a sealed environment to brush the coal gas before delivery to the town supply, the coke was used in the retorts which was burned to turn more coal into coal gas and coke and all the other nasties that came from heating coal.

Chris, it's interesting to hear you tell that coke is now dearer than coal, because I seem to remember in my childhood days it was seen as a sort of poor man's coal.

A sackful, which we'd load on to our old pram, used to hold a hundredweight - about 45 kilos in today's money. I can't remember exactly how much it cost, but I'm sure it wasn't more than a couple of shillings in the mid to late 1950s.

The coke produced at the Birkenhead gasworks presumably wasn't intended primarily for domestic use and I don't think coke was delivered to homes by coal merchants (I may be wrong).

But, living near the gasworks, we were able to easily obtain it and I remember my Dad saying it was better than coal - cleaner-burning and hotter. Mind you, I'm glad those coal-burning days are over, because the town was a dirty, smoky old place back then.

Quite right davew3. The Gas Works Museum is in Biggar in the Borders.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/biggar/biggargasworks/

I've been a few times. Really interesting. Best thing of all is THAT SMELL. Not of coal/town gas so much, as that of all the various by-products, phenols, tars etc. Nasty stuff I'm sure, but it smells great !! It's Hind Street on a much smaller scale. They get some of the plant "in steam" a few times a year. Always remember the "cocky watchmen" in their little huts at roadworks sites etc. sitting behind an open brazier of glowing coke. Health and what ????

The coke was cheaper because it was a biproduct of the gas productions process. Remember piles of coal as well in these place and the coal wagons used to fill up there with coal too. Remember as a 4 year old the winter of '47 (it was a barsteward and I can remember the cold) and onwards being dragged along with the pram to queue up and get coke at Wallasey and Hind Street. Wallasey if there was none available at Hind Street. The word used to go around as to where the supplies were. Used to grub for cinders at Livingstone Street baths too, the yard at the back, so Livvie must've been coal fired.

The Biggar gasworks looks interesting, Pinz.
@BandyCoot; yes, the winter of '47 was probably the worst within living memory, even trains were stranded in snowdrifts; the country nearly ground to a halt. Even now, 66 years later, if we had a winter like that, even with our modern technology we'd still be in the same trouble.
@yoller; yes, coke was cheap because, apart from being used to fire the retorts, it was a waste product. Because there's still a small demand for it, it has to be made specially.
I don't know if it was ever delivered by coal merchants: anyone know?

The drawing is signed and appears to say Don (or Den?) Jones.

Thanks for that - I never noticed the signature. It looks like Don Jones. Does anyone know anything about him?

The boilerhouse and rail-connected coal supply were situated on the Dock Road side of Wallasey Gasworks. The buildings were demolished about 7 years ago.

Sorry Zipper I was talking Carp - (not for the 1st time and won't be the last !) - Wallasey Gasworks had no rail access from the Dock Road - but extensive access from the Slopes Branch that ran where the tunnel approach is now, have a look here:
www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw009282?search=wirral&ref=242
in the bottom RH corner - (use the zoom function if you are a member) most of the buildings to the left of the gasometers are to do with the production of gas - boiler houses, retort house and fuel handling buildings - where the fuel could be dried if required.

Its building did stretch to the Dock Road and latterly all access was from this end.

When the tunnel approach road was built along the old railway route,the length of the new road adjacent to the gasworks, was built on a piled concrete raft to protect the gasometers from traffic vibrations.
Cheers,
Pete.

Hi Reno I don't know if you are still a member but I have just found this site on looking for history of Thomas street I was born in Thomas street number 12 I lived with my Nan Maggie Davies and my brother Derek Davies or. Mogs nickname it was so lovely to read yours and Yollers memories they could have been mine I loved Thomas Street and all the lovely people who lived there and had a goos cry when I saw the pictures and our house was on it my Name was Marggret Hoole as my nans sister adopted me I would love to have a chat to you about Tomo as we called it I remember the dolls hospital or Vins as we called it and the pub at the top was the Borough our teddy and all my uncles drank in there as well and I can still remember the ding song when they came out we could hear it from out bedroom I hope you art still on here and Yollar lovely seeing and hearing a blast from my past I am 75 now good wishes x x x