GOLDEN LANE

 OBSCURE LONDON GAS WORKS NO.4

GOLDEN LANE

Devotees of real ale should note that even in 1800 people thought that big breweries were ruining the beer. If they examine the 1813 Horwood Plan they will see marked 'Genuine Beer Brewery' in Golden Lane. This was the site of the best known of London's early gas making plants. I am not going to pretend that it is obscure; it has been very well written up by a number of people.

(E.G.Stewart, Dean Chandler & A.Douglas Lacey, Sir Arthur Elton,Hugh Barty King) 

They have all, however, made one very basic mistake. The Golden Lane Brewery was not owned by Whitbreads,whose Brewery was just round the corner in Chiswell Street.  I will write about their contribution to the early gas industry in a future article.  They were, as a big commercial brewer, the deadliest rivals of Golden Lane and contributed to their downfall.  The Golden Lane Brewery has a fascinating history which has been detailed by Peter Mathias. 

I am not going to go into a lot of detail about the Golden Lane works. Those who are interested can look at the authors mentioned above. In summary: the works was set up in 1807 and gas from it was subsequently used for a demonstration of street lighting in Beech Street.  This was arranged by the local Alderman, Matthew Wood, the politician and City of London 'improver', who may also have had an interest in the brewery.  He was to support a number of other gas companies.

It is not known who installed the Golden Lane plant. Winsor disclaimed it publicly. Elton speculated about William Murdoch, who was involved with an isinglass manufacturer opposite the brewery, as Mathias also noted. It also seems likely that the Brewery owners took over a Boulton and Watt steam engine installed by the previous occupant. Stewart (who confused it hopelessly with the Whitbread plant) ascribed it to Pemberton   a Birmingham factory owner who had some connections with Boulton and Watt. 

One of the most interesting things about Golden Lane is that they were prepared to invest in the new technology that gas represented. But it is typical of London cynicism that the locals were not impressed: "the flame issuing from the chimneys has afforded nightly amusement to the frequenters of the neighbouring alehouses'.  Today the Golden Lane Brewery site is covered with housing   Peabody and local authority. In 1810 this was one of the most exciting areas in London as a network of new industries grew up: brewing and gas were major contributors.

References mentioned above:

 

A to Z of Regency London, Harry Margary, Lympne Castle, 1985. 

Hugh Barty-King, New Flame, Graphmitre, Tavistock, 1988.

D.Chandler & A.Douglas Lacey, The Rise of the Gas Industry in 

Britain, British Gas Council, London, 1949.

Sir Arthur Elton, Triumph of Gas Lights 

Peter Mathias, The Brewing Industry in England 1700-1830 london,

CUP, 1959.

Stewart, E.G., Historical index of gasworks past & present in 

the area now served by North Thames Gas board NTGas, 1958; 

Also: Thanks to N.Redman, Archivist, Whitbread PLC.