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uring the Second World War, Nationalisation, the Eastern Gas Board and butane used to enrich the calorific
Norwich was subjected to the new gasworks at Cremorne Lane value of the gas as required. Gas
several bombing raids between On 12 June 1944, Minister of Fuel and manufacture started in June 1962 and
1940 and 1942, including an Power Gwilym Lloyd-George appointed the works were officially opened on
D intensive blitz in April 1942, Geoffrey Heyworth to chair a review 3 July 1962 by the then Lord Mayor
which destroyed large parts of the city. into the future of the gas industry. of Norwich Andrew Ryrie. The three-
As had occurred in World War I, the The report concluded that the existing acre site north of the railway became
gasworks lost workers to the war effort, structure was restricting further an unloading point for road tankers
leading to the employment of women progress. A fundamental change in the carrying virgin naphtha from the
workers in a variety of roles. It was structure of the industry was required refinery at Fawley, near Southampton.
miraculous that the gasworks were not that could produce effective results The success of the initial gas
seriously damaged given the bombs quickly, requiring the grouping of reforming plant in Norwich led to
that had fallen all around them. gas undertakings into larger units. the construction of another three gas
The effects of the Second World War It was decided the only way such an reforming units based on the Otto
on the Norwich gas industry were well amalgamation could be achieved was process developed by Simon Carves,
described by Henry Woodhall, the then to nationalise the gas industry, so each unit capable of producing seven
Chairman and Managing Director of it was split into 12 regional boards. million cubic feet per day. Another
the British Gas Light Company, who in The gasworks in Norwich and in East two Otto gas reforming units were
1946 said: Anglia were amalgamated into the constructed in subsequent years and
Eastern Gas Board. the site was switched to using propane
“Norwich was subject to many attacks, Sadly, nationalisation signalled prior to the construction of a 48-mile
some of a major nature, and the damage the end for the British Gas Light pipeline from Felixstowe. This then
to house property was very extensive. Company. The company had been in a supplied an LPG propane feedstock
In raids on two successive nights we position where it could have privately from a specially-built LPG reception
had no fewer than 100 mains fractured. implemented the amalgamation and storage facility. A new, above-
Pressures had to be restricted for a day required by the Heyworth Report. This ground, spiral-guided gasholder with a
or two after one or two of the raids, but was because from 1920, the company capacity of two million cubic feet was
there was no complete shutting off of the had taken control of several small constructed in 1959. The new gasworks
supply, and gas-making continued at gasworks in the region, including the allowed the St Martin at Palace
all times without intermission, which is gas undertakings at Aylsham, Brandon, gasworks to close and the city centre
greatly to the credit of the retort house Diss, Gorleston, Harleston, Mundesley, assets were simply reduced to the
men and other works personnel who, Wymondham, Aldeburgh, Leiston, distribution plant required at Bishop
with our district men, did magnificent Mildenhall and Wickham Market. Bridge. Other surplus buildings were
work with complete disregard for Using its financial clout and technical sold off. The completed gasworks with
personal safety.” knowledge, the BGLC could operate the electric power stations are shown in
these small gasworks more efficiently the photograph.
Providing feedstocks for the and profitably than when they operated
chemical industry as individual concerns.
In the early years of the industry, In 1919, the BGLC had purchased The success of the initial gas
some by-products of gas manufacture land east of Norwich at Cremorne Lane reforming plant in Norwich led
such as coal tar, were regarded as with the intention of building a new to the construction of another
having little or no value. From the gasworks. This never materialised. three gas reforming units based
1830s onwards, it was realised that The site comprised 12 acres south of
valuable products could be obtained or the railway and north of the river and on the Otto process developed by
manufactured from these by-products. an additional three acres north of the Simon Carves, each unit capable
The limited space available to the railway. The total area of the St Martin of producing seven million cubic
BGLC in Norwich did not provide at Palace and Bishop Bridge works was feet per day
space for a chemical works. The only seven acres by comparison. As
solution was found in 1883 with the amalgamation began in the Eastern Gas
construction of a chemical works Board region, gas distribution networks The new gasworks at Cremorne Lane
further along the River Yare at Great were constructed from Norwich to did not have a long life; a decision
Yarmouth. The chemicals were the outlying towns and villages, so was made by Henry Jones in 1966 to
conveyed from Norwich to Yarmouth a new and cheaper gas supply could switch the gas network to supplying
by river, where the chemical works be provided. This resulted in the natural gas instead of manufactured
manufactured sulphate of ammonia smaller and less efficient gasworks gas. The importation of natural gas
and undertook the distillation of tar. closing and required an increase in gas had already begun in 1964, coming
For most of its history, the chemical manufacture at Norwich. into the UK as LNG from Algeria. The
works were operational, especially Planning permission was obtained LNG was transported by ship to a
during wartime when by-products such in May 1961 to develop the Cremorne special terminal constructed at Canvey
as benzol and toluol were required to aid Lane site into a new oil-based gasworks Island, in Essex. To aid the distribution
the war effort. Coal tar pitch found comprising two Micro Simplex gas of gas, a transmission pipeline was
a local use in the protection of the reforming plants. Erected by the constructed in 1966, stretching from
flint cobble walls constructed within Woodall-Duckham Company, they Canvey Island to Leeds, in Yorkshire. It
this region. Numerous walls are still could produce 1.6 million cubic feet had connections to eight of the regional
to be found coated in pitch in the area of gas per day. The new gasworks used gas boards and was able to move
around the gasworks. virgin naphtha as the feedstock, with high volumes of gas at high pressure.

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