Basics

People

Properties

Can You Help?

Roads Off

Janet's Research

Sources & More

Brentford Gas Company Engineering Drawings

Jonathan Ross sent photos of three exquisite hand-coloured engineering drawings dating from late Victorian times, all produced for the Brentford Gas Company. He managed to rescue them from a large collection held at British Gas HQ in Staines during the 1980s (the rest were shredded).

Jonathan is not anxious to part with them but if anyone is interested in purchasing one or more please get in touch and I will forward your mail to him.

Top and Bottom Lifts of Holder Signed by F Morris Engineer Dated August 1883, Drawing No. 30-33

No. 3 Holder Southall Works Details of Crown Signed by F Morris Engr Dated August 1883, Drawing No. 8-33

Quarter Plan of Proposed New Tank for Southall Drawn by John Aird & Sons Dated 13 October 1877

The drawings are at the scale of a quarter of an inch to a foot or 1:48. A part of the second plan follows showing the level of detail.

Details of ladder

Notes

Frank Morris, who prepared the first two drawings above, lived at Brentford Lodge, 368 High Street, in 1881 and 1891. It seems likely he was an employee of the Brentford Gas Company. His links to the area go back further as he was of Isleworth when he married Mary Eleanor Husband at her home parish of St Erth, Cornwall, on 28 January 1873. He was a bachelor and civil engineer, son of William Richard Morris, civil engineer.

John Aird was a Scotsman who lived at The Rylands, Upper Norwood, Surrey in 1871, occupation 'Contractor Public Works'. He was a widower, age 69, and had a son named Henry K Aird, 22, born in Lewisham. They had three live-in servants. The British Newspaper Archive has several items which link John Aird & Sons to Gas Comanies in the 1870s, for example Eastbourne Gas Co in 1878 and Bristol Gas Co in 1879.

Links

The Historic England Blog entitled A Brief Introduction to Gasholders.

Try a search for 'Brentford Gas' on the home page, it will turn up all sorts of Brentford Gas Co material including photos.

For more about the Brentford home of Frank Morris, see notes for Brentford Lodge.

Published September 2024