# Poynton brickworks and gasworks - Industrial archaeology



## tarboat (Apr 24, 2008)

This exploration incorporates a fair amount of historical research to try to put the remains on the ground into context. I enjoy 'reading the landscape' and long disused industrial sites can be quite challenging to interpret.

Poynton, Cheshire, once had an extensive coal mining industry that lasted until 1935. Ancillary to this were the brick and gas industries which served the local area and population. The brickworks and gasworks were located next to each other and both served by the colliery railway system.






_*Ordnance Survey map of 1910 shows the location of the two works. The second gasholder is not shown and is assumed to have been erected after this time.*_





_*The brickworks buildings and tall chimney can be seen to the left of the signalbox. The buildings to the right of the signalbox are those of the gasworks. Photo enlarged from a postcard sent in 1917.*_​
*Brickworks*

In 1875 the colliery agent described the brickworks in his annual report:

_"Extensive brickworks have been erected near the railway junction just named They have been established mainly for the purpose of utilising the pit shales drawn in the course of coal work and also for the manufacture of ordinary bricks The works comprise a steam engine with a 16 inch cylinder, Boiler, Crushing and Grinding Machinery, pug mill and brick making machine (Morands). The machinery was made by Messrs. Easton and Tattersall of Leeds. It is now making good bricks but has been very troublesome chiefly owing to its parts not being sufficiently strong and to other defects in construction. These have apparently been remedied and I hope there will be no more drawbacks. The machine will by fair going make 2 million bricks, per annum, at a labour cost of 10s per thousand.

A brick drying shed in which the drying is effected by the exhaust steam of the engine has also been put up: the application of the steam has been quite successful. A patent brick kiln (Pollock & Mitchell) with 8 chambers has also been built with a chimney 120 feet in height- This is not yet in full operation but the burning has been commenced: it will probably have to be burnt off a time or two before the bricks will be as hard as they ought to be.

The cost of the brickworks has been about £3000"
_
The brickworks had closed by 1920 when it was offered for sale along with most of the Vernon Estate. The 1:10560 O.S.map of 1910 shows that a third circular kiln had been added. By 1920 the kilns and railway siding remained but the building which housed the machinery had gone. Today the main site is a mixture of scrub, water filled pits and some foundations, whilst the clay field on the other side of the railway has been levelled and made into a park.





_*Bases for machinery withing brickworks main building*_





_*Engine beds with holding-down bolts for brickworks machinery*_​
*Gasworks*

The original Poynton gasworks was situated alongside the colliery railway close to the Hazel Grove to Macclesfield road. The location proved too small for the business and a move was made to a site at the junction with the main line railway and adjacent to where the new Poynton Station would soon be constructed. Construction lasted two years and production commenced in 1877.

Expenditure on the new gas works totalled £4905 by the end of 1878. The plant was supplied by Newton Chambers & Go. of Thorncliffe Iron Works Sheffield and engineers Easton and Anderson appear to have supervised the work. It was not until 1877 that the new works went into production and during the next year or two the emphasis was on laying more pipes. Some pipes came from Stockport Gas Works and may have been second hand.

The gas works was offered for sale in 1920 along with most of the Vernon estates and the catalogue gives a detailed description of the whole enterprise:

_"THE POYNTON GAS WORKS situated adjoining the Poynton Station (L & N. W.R.) and embracing an area of about 1a. 1r. 21p. THE PROPERTY comprises: The Brick-built and slated Meter House fitted with Meter for recording the making output, by the Gas Meter Company, Oldham; two sets of Purifiers and Lime Store, adjoining Iron Gas Scrubber.

Brick and Slated Engine House containing Andrew's Stockport Gas Engine and Exhauster.

Retort House also Brick built and Slated, containing four sets of five Retorts, Cistern and Hydraulic Gas Mains, leading to a Set of 15 Coolers; at side Brick and Slated Office.

Adjoining the Retort House is a Large Open Goal Store with Corrugated Roof, Vertical Steam Boiler, Brick and Slated Governor House fitted with Parkinson's Station Governor; there are two Gasometers estimated to be capable of holding 60,000 and 40,000 cubic feet of Gas respectively.

A Railway Siding is taken off the Colliery Railway, which in turn connects with the L. & N.W.R. Railway's System."
_
The works was not sold and remained in the ownership of the Poynton Collieries until they closed in August 1935. At that time Stockport Corporation gasworks took over the business and connected the village to their own pipes. The Poynton gasworks then closed and the site has remained derelict to this day.

The remains are extensive considering that it is 73 years since closure. The lower walls of some structures survive along with the circular sites of the gasholders.There are also several of the horizontal retorts to be seen in a ruinous condition. Amazingly the 1877 gasholder tank survives a few miles away where it was moved to a hilltop site for use as a water tank.





_*Base for the 1877 gasholder*_





_*Horizontal retorts for making gas*_





_*Retort*_





_*Remains of another retort bank*_





_*Base area of second gasholder*_





_*1877 Gasholder in use as water tank on hilltop nearby*_





_*Maker's details on 1877 gasholder tank*_​


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## romanian1 (Apr 24, 2008)

Thaqt gasholders ace, i so wanna clamber on it.


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## smileysal (Apr 24, 2008)

That looks fantastic, love the gas holder and the remains of the kilns. Excellent work on finding the history, old pics and maps too. I really like this. Lovely colours too.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## King Al (Apr 24, 2008)

Really interesting find tarboat, I didn't even know they even had such structures in 1877. Something new every day


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## Richard Davies (Apr 24, 2008)

I wonder what the quality of the soil is there, gas works often produced some fairly toxic by-products when turning coal into town gas.


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## Neosea (Apr 24, 2008)

You have done some great research on this site. Thanks for the info and great pictures


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## batroy (Apr 24, 2008)

Now that's a top report, amazing what remains considering the time involved.


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## Foxylady (Apr 24, 2008)

Excellent report and research, tarboat. That's a very interesting site. I would have mistaken one of the gasholder bases as a millpond...just goes to show how important it is to get all the relevant info.
I agree, that gas holder's well cool!


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## bungle666 (Apr 24, 2008)

nice report tarboat, just goes to show what a little research can do!!

bungle


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## Dirus_Strictus (Apr 25, 2008)

Richard Davies said:


> I wonder what the quality of the soil is there, gas works often produced some fairly toxic by-products when turning coal into town gas.



For 'fairly' read highly. This site is listed in relevant documents as toxic. However due to the nature of the site, I cannot see anything being done about decontamination. This is normally only done when a site is sold for housing or other occupation. Regulations now demand that this is a planning requirement. Currently I know of two relatively recent housing developments, where the property owners are not allowed to dig in their gardens, until all the top and subsoil has been replaced. This has nothing to do with developers cutting corners. It was thought that the sites were OK after testing gave the all clear. However foundation excavations, and subsequent landscaping had disturbed the previously buried contaminated layer.

King Al,

By 1877, the general design requirements for gas works had been well established. In fact not much changed in the ensuing years, works got bigger to meet ever increasing demands and more by-products were processed, but the fundamentals remained the same.


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## Richard Davies (Apr 25, 2008)

I remember seeing a programme about enviromental inspectors a few years ago. One thing they had to deal with was the discovery of some gasworks remains containing a substance smelling of mothballs, much unpleasenter that anything you would find in your granny's wardrobe.


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## Foxylady (Apr 26, 2008)

Richard Davies said:


> ...smelling of mothballs, much unpleasenter that anything you would find in your granny's wardrobe.



  

Quite scary stuff about the toxic remains. Thanks for the info, Dirus...that was interesting.


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