Manufacturer's plaque from dismantled gas works donated to Touchstones Museum

Handing over the gas holder plaque is Rachael Elliott, NEC Project Manager at Worley Parsons, Sarah Hodgkinson, Resource Manager, Museum at Arts and Heritage Resource Centre and Kat Scargill, Land Regeneration Manager at National Grid

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National Grid has donated the manufacturer's plaque conserved from one of the gas holders currently being dismantled at their site off Dane Street, along with a number of framed photographs from the historic gasworks, to Rochdale’s Touchstones Museum.

The manufacturer’s plate, which is made of steel and weighs around 25 kilograms, served as a maker’s mark on one of the gasholders, which has now been completely removed from the site. It will now sit alongside other points of interest at the museum’s Arts and Heritage Resource Centre.

Sarah Hodgkinson, Museum Resource Officer, at Touchstones Rochdale, said: “It’s wonderful to acquire the cast iron manufacturer’s plate from the recently dismantled gas holder as it tells an important historical story. It will now be accessioned into the museum collection at the Arts and Heritage Resource Centre where it will be preserved for the town.”

Kat Scargill, Land Regeneration Manager at National Grid said: “We are delighted to provide Touchstones with this poignant link to Rochdale’s industrial past. Whilst the gasholders are now redundant, the site once formed part of the Rochdale Gasworks which opened in 1824. We hope that by passing on this item to the museum people will be able to learn and take an interest in the town’s industrial history for years to come.”

The site and surrounding area once played an important role in securing Rochdale’s gas supply.

The gasholders formed part of the expansive Rochdale Gasworks, opened in 1824, which was the catalyst for lighting up the town’s streets with gas lamps.

As demand for gas increased, so too did the site.

The two gasholders that National Grid is dismantling were built in 1949 and 1954 and replaced previous, smaller holders on the site in a bid to cope with anticipated post-war demand.

Today, gasholders are no longer needed due to investments made to improve the national network, meaning gas can be stored in the pipe system or underground. The gasholders in Rochdale have not been used since 2013. The removal allows regeneration of the site so it can be put to better use.