Great Yarmouth Listed Gasholder

The 29m high gasholder in Great Yarmouth has been part of the town’s skyline since it was built in 1884. However, specialist condition assessments show that works are needed to secure the long term future of this Grade II Listed structure.

Following extensive consultation with the local community and Historic England, National Grid’s plan for the site was given planning permission and listed building consent by Great Yarmouth Borough Council in April 2024. National Grid owns the former gasworks site at Admiralty Road, but gasholders are no longer used as part of the national gas system.

National Grid has a national programme agreed with OFGEM to bring redundant sites such as these back into use, but the Grade II Listed status of the Victorian gasholder and its condition requires a different approach. Following detailed technical assessments it was agreed that the tank at the bottom of the gasholder should be removed and the large visible frame should then be refurbished in-situ at the site. This will open up the site for new uses and secure the long term future of the gasholder and its place on the local skyline.

Stage 1: Removing the tank

Water removal

Our specialist contractors, Erith, started by removing the water in the bottom of the gasholder. This is pumped out, treated on site and discharged into the local sewer under a consent from Anglian Water.

Before work starts to remove the structure of the tank gasholder, any oil and sludge inside the tank needs to be removed. There is sometimes a diesel-like smell* when we remove the sludge and other debris from gasholders, although we’ll take measures to minimise any odour from the site. Any odours will be temporary and not harmful to people, animals or the environment.

Steel cutting

Once the water, oil, sludge and other debris is removed, the tank is dismantled. This involves cutting the cast iron structure using a range of equipment. If safe to do so, the metal will then be stored on site for possible re-use in the future.

Housekeeping

The site will be monitored during the work and action taken to reduce any odours, vibrations, noise or dust.

The site is securely fenced at all times and CCTV is in operation outside of working hours
Site traffic will use the main entrance off Admiralty Road
The site team will marshall large vehicle movements in and out of the site and site traffic will avoid school start and finish times
If required, a road sweeper will also be used to ensure no dust or debris is left behind
Our work will not interrupt your gas or electricity supply
Our team work between 8.00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday. Weekend working is unlikely to be required, but if it is necessary, it will be restricted to 8.30am to 1.00pm on a Saturday

This first part of the work began in September 2024 and we aim to be finished by late spring 2025.

*If you’re concerned about a gas smell, please contact the National Gas Emergency Service on freephone 0800 111 999 or via textphone (minicom) on 0800 371 787.

Stage 2: Refurbishing the frame

Once the tank is removed there will be detailed design work undertaken to plan the refurbishment works. These works are likely to include:

the removal of old paint and cleaning of the frame;
structural repairs to the cast iron frame as required; and
painting of the frame

We will provide more information on this when the design stage is complete. We expect this stage of works to start in autumn 2025 and be complete by spring 2027. An approximate indication of how the site will look when works are complete is provided below:

More information on the site and community

What were gasholders used for?

Gasholders were used to store gas until it was needed by homes and factories. They were first used to store gas made from burning coal at local gasworks but were also used to store natural gas when this started to be used.

As gas was used the tanks fell and as they re-filled, usually at night, they rose again. Gasholders are no longer used as part of the national gas system as gas is now stored under pressure in a national network of pipes.

How did gasholders work?

The Great Yarmouth gasholder had a water filled cast iron tank, and within this were two containers which stored the gas called 'lifts'.

The top lift was sealed at one end (the crown) and sat over the water. As the top lift filled with gas it raised out of the tank until it connected to the second lift which then filled with gas.

The lifts were guided by wheels which ran on rails on the inside of the columns, stopping them blowing over in the wind. Water in the tank and between the lifts provided a seal preventing the gas from leaking.

Heritage

National Grid recognises that gasholders and gasworks are a part of our industrial heritage and how important it is to undertake historical recording at all gasholder sites.

At Great Yarmouth, Level Three Historic Building Recording is being undertaken given that the gasholder is Grade II Listed. When complete, this will be made available in the online record section of this website.

Site facts

The Great Yarmouth Gas Company started making gas from coal in 1824 on a site on the banks of the River Yare. The Admiralty Road site dates back to the 1860s when they needed to build a new gasworks on a nearby site. As the demand for gas changed during the day, the gas was stored in gasholders until it was needed by local homes and businesses.

The remaining gasholder at the site, known as Gasholder No. 172, is a column guided gasholder and dates from 1884
Including its finials, it is 29m high, has 14 cast iron columns and 52 lattice beams in the frame
It had a capacity of 400,000 cubic feet
The tank is made of rivetted cast iron plates with a diameter of 29.8m and contains two lifts which locked together to form one large space when it filled with gas

The gasholder was designed by R.P Spice and built by Samuel Cutler & Sons, originally on a different part of the gasworks before being re-located to its current position in 1885. The gasholder was decommissioned in the early 2000s.

Professor Russell Thomas

Professor Russell Thomas, a world renowned expert of the history of the gas industry, has been commissioned to undertake a study on the history of the former gasworks site and the gasholder. His work will conclude with the publication of a booklet on the history of the site which will be freely available to download here when it is completed.

He will also be planning a talk on the history of the site and if you would like to register your interest in this then please get in touch.

Local community

Updates

Site neighbours will be kept up to date via letters, and we encourage the wider community to access updates via this website. Anyone with any questions can contact our community relations team via the contact section at the foot of this page.

Community visits

We welcomed local residents to site on 27 November 2024 to learn more about the gasholder and our work.

Watch a short film about the visits

During these visits the team met George Tovell who worked on the gasworks when he was just 16 years old. In April 2025, we invited him back to share some of his memories.

George Tovell's interview

T-Level Engineering students from East Coast College also visited site in February and March 2025.

East Coast College students visit

Two groups from the University of the Third Age (u3a) also had tours in March 2025.

University of the Third A tour

Organisations close to the work can also apply for funding through the Community Grant Programme, please get in touch for more information.

National Grid is also working to donate parts of the dismantled gasholder tank to local museums and stakeholders so the community can continue to enjoy the history.

Online record

As work progresses, this section will keep you up to date with an online record of dismantled and retained parts of the cast iron tank segments. It will also contain all documents released publicly about the project.