Provan Gas Works
Provan Gas Works is a decommissioned industrial gas holding plant in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The plant lies between the Blackhill, Blochairn, Germiston and Provanmill areas of the city, The plant is best known for its two massive column-guided gasometers, which have become an iconic industrial landmark in Glasgow's East End. Most of the plant has now been demolished and will be the site of the future HMP Glasgow, which is under construction as of 2026, with the only surviving element being the two gasometer frames which are now preserved as Grade B-listed structures. The plant was originally built by Glasgow Corporation between 1900 and 1904. It later became part of British Gas, and subsequently Transco, and its final owner Scotia Gas Networks (previously a subsidiary of Scottish and Southern Energy). Originally the plant was a gasworks, manufacturing town gas via the cooking of coal. The plant was expanded after 1919. Following nationalisation of the gas supply in 1948, the plant passed to the Scottish Gas Board, and then to British Gas in 1973. In 1972, supplies of inexpensive natural gas from North Sea oilfields became available. The gasworks was downsized significantly in the 1980s in response to changing economic conditions arising as the British gas industry was privatised under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The two gasholders were the largest of their kind in the UK, each of the towers can hold 283,000 m3 (9,994,000 cu ft) of gas, and is 85.4 metres (280 ft) in diameter. Their combined storage capacity is 566,000 m3 (19,988,000 cu ft) – each enough to supply a city the size of York for an entire day. Since the construction of the M8 and M80 motorways in the 1970s and 1980s, which run directly next to the plant, the twin gasholders have become an unofficial portal into the city's central area for drivers from Edinburgh and the north. The towers have also gained an affectionate following among locals since they are often used to display huge placards showcasing the various promotional slogans for the city, the most memorable being the "Glasgow's Miles Better" and "Everyone's Glasgowing On" campaigns. The future of the plant was discussed when Glasgow City Council proposed plans for decontaminating the unused land on the brownfield site and redeveloping it for commercial use. In 2012, Scotia Gas Networks announced that the twin column-guided and single spiral-guided gasometers were to be decommissioned, with no decision made on their future. The twin column-guided gasholders were protected as Category B listed structures in 2018 by Historic Environment Scotland (with associated buildings on the site listed at Category C), a decision which the owners disputed due to the high maintenance costs involved, particularly when no longer being used for their originally designed purpose. However, the listed status (along with a pair of similar structures located in the city's Temple / Kelvindale area) was upheld after appeal, supported by local MP Paul Sweeney, who called for the creative reuse of the structures, citing other examples from around the UK such as Granton Gasworks in Edinburgh, and internationally such as Gasometer Vienna, Gasometer Oberhausen, Østre Gasværk Teater and Newstead Gasworks. In 2020, the Scottish Prison Service announced that it intended to buy 22 hectares (54 acres) of land adjacent to the gas works to build a replacement for HM Prison Barlinnie. Demolition of the unlisted spiral-guided gasometer began in 2020.
| Provan Gas Works | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The twin gasometer frames of Provan Gas Works, next to the M8 motorway | |
 Interactive map of Provan Gas Works | |
| Location | Provanmill, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Built | 1903 |
| Built for | Glasgow Corporation |
| Original use | Manufacture of town gas from coal Natural gas / LPG storage |
| Current use | Future site of HMP Glasgow |
| Governing body | Glasgow City Council |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | Provan Gasworks, Blochairn Road; No. 1 Gasholder and No. 2 Gasholder, excluding tanks and shells. |
| Designated | 5 December 2017 |
| Reference no. | LB45641 |
Provan Gas Works is a decommissioned industrial gas holding plant in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The plant lies between the Blackhill, Blochairn, Germiston and Provanmill areas of the city, The plant is best known for its two massive column-guided gasometers, which have become an iconic industrial landmark in Glasgow's East End. Most of the plant has now been demolished and will be the site of the future HMP Glasgow, which is under construction as of 2026, with the only surviving element being the two gasometer frames which are now preserved as Grade B-listed structures.
The plant was originally built by Glasgow Corporation between 1900 and 1904.[1] It later became part of British Gas, and subsequently Transco, and its final owner Scotia Gas Networks (previously a subsidiary of Scottish and Southern Energy). Originally the plant was a gasworks, manufacturing town gas via the cooking of coal. The plant was expanded after 1919.[1] Following nationalisation of the gas supply in 1948, the plant passed to the Scottish Gas Board, and then to British Gas in 1973. In 1972, supplies of inexpensive natural gas from North Sea oilfields became available. The gasworks was downsized significantly in the 1980s in response to changing economic conditions arising as the British gas industry was privatised under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The two gasholders were the largest of their kind in the UK, each of the towers can hold 283,000 m3 (9,994,000 cu ft) of gas,[2] and is 85.4 metres (280 ft) in diameter.[1] Their combined storage capacity is 566,000 m3 (19,988,000 cu ft) – each enough to supply a city the size of York for an entire day.
Since the construction of the M8 and M80 motorways in the 1970s and 1980s, which run directly next to the plant, the twin gasholders have become an unofficial portal into the city's central area for drivers from Edinburgh and the north. The towers have also gained an affectionate following among locals since they are often used to display huge placards showcasing the various promotional slogans for the city, the most memorable being the "Glasgow's Miles Better" and "Everyone's Glasgowing On" campaigns.
The future of the plant was discussed when Glasgow City Council proposed plans for decontaminating the unused land on the brownfield site and redeveloping it for commercial use. In 2012, Scotia Gas Networks announced that the twin column-guided and single spiral-guided gasometers were to be decommissioned, with no decision made on their future.[3][4] The twin column-guided gasholders were protected as Category B listed structures in 2018 by Historic Environment Scotland (with associated buildings on the site listed at Category C), a decision which the owners disputed due to the high maintenance costs involved, particularly when no longer being used for their originally designed purpose.[5][6] However, the listed status (along with a pair of similar structures located in the city's Temple / Kelvindale area) was upheld after appeal, supported by local MP Paul Sweeney, who called for the creative reuse of the structures, citing other examples from around the UK such as Granton Gasworks in Edinburgh,[7] and internationally such as Gasometer Vienna, Gasometer Oberhausen, Østre Gasværk Teater and Newstead Gasworks.[8][9]
In 2020, the Scottish Prison Service announced that it intended to buy 22 hectares (54 acres) of land adjacent to the gas works to build a replacement for HM Prison Barlinnie.[10][11]
Demolition of the unlisted spiral-guided gasometer began in 2020.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Provan Gas Works". CANMORE. RCAHMS. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ "Gaslight: Issue 141" (PDF). North West Gas Historical Society. December 2007. p. 4.
- ^ Rebecca Gray (21 November 2012). "What now for city's Provan gas towers?". Evening Times. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Hannah Rodger (10 October 2017). "Glasgow's skyline could be changing as future of historic Provan gasworks up for debate". Evening Times. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Row over protected status for Provan Gas Works". The Herald. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ Alison Campsie (21 May 2018). "Row over historic protection for "eyesore" gasworks". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Public park brings new life to iconic gasholder site". BBC News. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "Listed status secured for Glasgow's two iconic gasworks". Glasgow Live. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Provan gas holders need a creative solution for their future". The Evening Times. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Provan gas works site to host £100m Barlinnie Prison replacement". Scottish Construction Now. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "Site purchased to replace Glasgow's Barlinnie prison". BBC News Online. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Test entry - RGL".
- Brochure about methods of removing old gasometers, if necessary, describing the ones at Provan Gas Works as two of the biggest in Scotland (PDF requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
External links
[edit]- Return to Provan Gasworks, I&H Brown
- Works Overview / Gasholder 1 / Gasholder 2 / Gasholder 3 at Canmore