Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 11/02/2013

SP 0686 NW
32/10036
30.6.93

BIRMINGHAM
GAS STREET (south west side)
Number 39
Former Gas Retort House, retort house extension to south-west and attached store

(Formerly listed as Former Gas Retort House)

II*

Former gas retort house, retort house extension and attached store, now workshops, empty at the time
of the inspection. 1822, for the Birmingham Gas Light and Coke Company, retort house extension
with attached store 1828. Part of one of the earliest provincial gas works. Altered late C19 and in
C20. Red brick beneath a corrugated iron roof covering, carved on a roof structure of cast iron roof
trusses, linked by transverse and longtitudinal wrought iron tie rods. L-shaped plan now much
modified internally, with narrow frontage to Gas Street. North-east elevation; rendered and painted
facade, with blind recess to north-west beneath elliptical arch, and tall double doorway to south-east
with flat head. Shallow parapet above moulded cornice band conceals roof hip. Side walls substantially
artexed, south west sidewall originally substantially an open arcade, supported by slender cast iron
columns, three of which survive, incorporated in later back infilling, which contains blocked semi-
circular headed arches. North west side wall with three blocked doorways and a semi-circular headed
window north west end of cross range with C20 openings.
Interior main range of 11 structural bays and a five bay cross range extending north westwards. 2 piece
cast-iron trusses, bolted together to form a 35 foot span the outer ends supported on flat cast-iron plates
set within the brick walling or mounted on the tops of the cast-iron columns. Diagonal lattice work
web links inclined upper members to segmentally arched soffit. The trusses are linked longtitudinally
by a cruciform section central purlin bolted to the central lap joints of the trusses. Modified truss
castings are used for the hipped ends, and, at the junction of the two ranges, a large diagonal truss spans
the diagonal angle. Horizontal wrought-iron tensioned tie rods link truss feet. Inclined upper face of
trusses notched or toothed to accept metal roof lathes which were wedged in position, and to which
the original roofing slates were attached. Extension to retort house at south-west end of 5 bays with 4
cast-iron trusses of slightly modified design, mounted on cast-iron wall plates. To the north side of the
extension was added a 5-bay single storeyed building, thought to have been a coal store. The roof is
carried on 4 stutted queen-post trusses supported on brick sidewall piers The queen posts extended
above the line of the original roof covering and appear to have carried a louvre.
History: The former Gas Street gas works was established in 1818, the retort house being the only
survivor of the complex for which the consultant engineer was Samuel Cleg (1781-1861), the first
specialist gas engineer. The innovative metal roof structure is now a rare example of the early advances
in metal roof design made in the early C19. This example is a combination of wrought and cast-iron
constructional techniques, designed to prevent the internal thrust of the trusses being transmitted to the
side walls, an important factor on the design of a roof which had to withstand the high temperatures
generated in the gas making process. The components for the roof structure are thought to have been
produced in the Phoenix Foundry, Snowhill, Birmingham. Empty at the time of inspection. Former
Gas Works, Gas Street, Birmingham. RCHM 1993.

Listing NGR: SP0624686513

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Gas Retort House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5526307

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)