Comments on: Gasworks gang, 1955

By: john holliday

john holliday — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 21:32:32 +0000

My auntie lived in the gasworks houses.She was Annie dykes ,her husband was Walter and she had two sons (my cousins)Colin and John.Auntie Annie used to deliver papers at the County Hospital.My cousin Colin played rugby for Imperial Athletic.

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 22:26:41 +0000

An update, confirmed location and brilliant aerial photos of the area have now been added, thanks to Peter, see: http://yorkstories.co.uk/an-industrial-landscape-of-some-grandeur/

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 11:01:36 +0000

Definitely York Gas Works. I have an aerial photograph taken from, I presume, a balloon situated approximately above the old ATS tyre depot on Layerthorpe

The photograph shows all the building in your picture ( apart from the Klonne gas holder which hadn’t been built at the time of this photograph - about 1920 I understand ) and it is easy to make an alignment across Foss Bank to inside the old works area which was situated on the now Sainsbury site, where the photographer would have been standing

The old gas works land, as still the Sainsbury’s site is elevated above the road of Foss Bank - confirmed by only the top of the gas lamp being visible ( my photograph is not crystal clear for such small detail but I think the lamp post is visible )

If you let me know how to add a picture to your site you’re most welcome to a copy

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:59:16 +0000

Awww, I like historypin. ‘Charlie’s Friday Favourites’ for this week includes the photo above:

http://blog.historypin.com/2012/03/23/charlies-friday-favourites-7/

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:26:53 +0000

Thanks David, I feel reassured now about my placing on historypin.com, that it’s the right location and angle. I think you’re right though that they’re perhaps on an access road just across the Foss, on the site itself, as Foss Bank has railings there rather than a low wall. I’m glad I could attach it to Google’s Street View though, as it then shows how the modern flats have replaced the industrial buildings.

By: David

David — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:50:46 +0000

Yes, that is where I have them too - just as the bend straightens out on the way up to Monk Bridge. The Foss Bank part of the gas works (now Sainsburys/Go Outdoors) is behind the person taking the photograph. The building with a chimney in front is definitely the one that stretched back towards Heworth Green. To the right of the photograph (out of sight) are the column guided gasometers on the Layerthorpe side. That small part of gasometer must therefore belong to the Klönne model, which usually appears quite white in photographs but not always, and its more central location and the pronounced rectangular pattern do match this. These regtangles could potentially have belonged to the spiral guided model, which, whilst only half the height of the Klönne and located behind it, still had a very wide footprint and could still be seen from Foss Bank. But the spiral guided model might not even have been built in 1955 so that would rule that out.

I am wondering whether the group are stood on the Layerthorpe site itself, on an access road with a low boundary wall just behind them. So the river Foss would actually be a few steps in front of them. Today this area is grassed and has trees and benches running from the sides of the new builds to the river’s edge. That might place them where a willow tree currently stands in front of Milan House….all approximately of course.