Tag Archives: 1960

Mitcham Gas Works, Western Road

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Town gas was produced at the works in Western Road, Mitcham, from around 1867 to 1960. During the 1930s around 200 tons of coal a day was used, see How Gas is Made.

Clip from Merton Memories photo, reference Mit_Work_Industry_19-4, copyright London Borough of Merton, taken 18th March 1960

This OS map from 1951 shows three gas holders.

In 2019, Google StreetView shows the only remaining gas holder, and a 65 metre high microwave radio tower next to it.

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 18th March 1960, page 1:

The gasworks to close over 100 jobs are hit

Mitcham’s gas will no longer be home-made. The gas-making department at the Western Road gasworks closes on May 1.

The supply will come by pipeline across Mitcham Common. The move is part of South-Eastern Gas Board’s change over to a grid system.

Well over 100 men will be hit, it is believed. A list of jobs available at the Mitcham works, and others, has been circulated.

Only short-term workers are in any danger of being out of work.

The Western Road works employs about 500 people. The clerical staff will remain.

The gasworks has been at Mitcham since 1867. It is now considered to be out of date.

Will its three gas holders go? The answer, say the gas board, is no.

The holders will store the piped gas – it will come mainly from Croydon.

What do people living in the gasworks think?

A woman at Fountain Place whose home with is within 30 yards of a gas holder said: “I can’t say I mind the gas making department closing, but I would be rather sorry if the holders went.

“I think living near gasworks is healthy, I am 72 and have hardly had a day’s illness.”

Another Fountain Place woman, Mrs Elizabeth Cooper, said: “Perhaps the end of gas-making will mean that or washing no longer gets dirty. I can’t really complain about smells.”

Healthy? “Never ill at all – that’s our family,” said Mrs Cooper.

Another woman said: “I have got a sort of attachment for the gas holders. The place would not be the same if they went.”

Note: The gas appliance maintenance department moved from Western Road to Old Kent Road in March last year.

From the Norwood News – Friday 28 October 1960

Gas worker hits at Gas Board

Chairman of Lower Mitcham Young Conservatives, Mr Eric Pillinger (he works for the South Eastern Gas Board), hit out at a nationalised industry on Friday – the South Eastern Gas Board.

He said that since he had joined in prenationalisation days he had seen:
the level of surtaxed staff get bigger and bigger;
Gas works close down until there was only one left in the South Eastern area;

TOO MANY

Work being carried out which could be done by a staff cut to a quarter;
“When we send some people round to inspect jobs to see they are going all right. Do we get just one person round ? No, we get half a dozen.”

Mr. Pillinger, who said his claims of overstaffing were probably on the liberal side, thought economies should be made and some personnel “kicked out.”

Mr. Pillinger, speaking at a brains trust at the Buck’s Head, Mitcham, was answering a question on whether nationalised industries were carrying passengers among their executive staff.

From the booklet : The Wandsworth and District Gas Company, A Century of Progress 1834 to 1934.

The Wandsworth and Putney Gas Light and Coke Co. was formed in 1834. In 1934 it is comprised of eight original companies, brought together by two purchases and four amalgamations.

1834 Wandsworth Company formed.
1835 Kingston Company formed.
Malden Company formed.
Dormay’s Company (formed some time later).
1839 Epsom and Ewell Company formed.
1849 Mitcham Company formed.
1852 Wimbledon Company formed.
1857 Sutton Company formed.
1864 Mitcham Company amalgamated with Wimbledon Company.
1868 Kingston Company purchased Malden Gas Works.
1873 Wandsworth Company purchased Dormay’s Company.
1912 Wandsworth Company amalgamated with Mitcham and Wimbledon ; and Epsom and Ewell Company.
1930 Wandsworth Company amalgamated with Kingston-on-Thames Company.
1931 Wandsworth Company amalgamated with Sutton Company.

See also Companies Amalgamated with the Wandsworth Gas Company.

There was a competition to name the buildings at the gas works, see Gas Works Building Names

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

James Pain and Sons, Ltd.

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Firework factory, off east side of Acacia Road, that came to Mitcham in 1872. The company was taken over by the British Match Corporation in 1960 and transferred its factory to Salisbury.

The Eastfields Housing Estate was built on the site. The roads were named Clay Avenue, Moore Close, Mulholland Close, Pains Close, Potter Close and Thrupp Close.

Clip from Merton Memories Mit_Work_Industry_6-3 copyright London Borough of Merton.

The offices were at Renshaw Corner until after WW1.

Clip from Merton memories photo Mit_Work_Industry_6-1 of

See also the entry on Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History.

News Articles

MATCH FIRM DO DEAL IN FIREWORKS BRYANT and May, chief operating subsidiary of the £30,750,000 British Match Corporation, is in the take-over field again.

It has acquired Waeco Ltd., whose main products are fireworks and marine distress equipment and a range of smoke pesticides and fungicides.

This company has two factories near Salisbury and a third has recently been acquired at Cambourne to provide room for further expansion.

British Match, which has been carrying out an energetic diversification programme, already owns two firework firms, James Pain and Sons, of Mitcham, and Octavius Hunt, the Bristol makers of sparklers and Bengal lights.

Its other interest, besides matches, range from man-made timber to boxes, steel wool and ticket issung machines.

Source: Newcastle Journal – Tuesday 22 May 1962 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

Elephant frightener

AT the firework and distress & signals makers, James Pain, they have just finished a consignment of 6,600 gross fog signals — and one of their purposes will be to frighten elephants.

They are part of an annual consignment to Nigeria where fog signals are used for a great variety of purposes on the railways.
They are most useful in frightening elephants and other animals from the tracks.

The Eastfields factory has also completed special smoke signals for a film to be made about the Jordan Army.

Source: Mitcham News & Mercury, 27th January, 1961

BRITISH MATCH
PROGRESS OF DIVERSIFICATION
THE MATCH INDUSTRY

Three-quarters of group sales were again made overseas, mainly in the Commonwealth and South America. In the home market competition was intense; higher sales of SWAN VESTAS offset lower sales of other British matches. Bryant & May’s new match factory in Glasgow, though relatively small, is the most modern in the world.

DIVERSIFICATION

As consumption of matches is static, other interests are hems expanded or acquired. A new £2.5 million ‘WEYROC’ factory is to be built near Annan. Packaging, pulp mouldings, ticket machines, steel wool, scourers and wire products are other main interests in the U.K. In total. 26.4%, of the group profit was earned outside the match industry compared with 14.6% last year. James Pain, the firework makers, joined the group in June 1960.

Source: Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 29 August 1960 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

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Lloyd’s List – Monday 07 September 1874

People
Miscellaneous notes on staff.

from marriage banns 14th June 1905 – Alfred Albert Henry COOPER, 27, living at Eastfields, assistant manager firework factory, father William COOPER, firework maker. In 1911 and 1925 he lived at 5 Langdale Avenue. Died December 1950 in Bognor Regis.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.