What is recorded here

This bronze commemorative plaque records: This plaque records the bicentenary of the first practical use of coal gas in Britain. In 1792, William Murdock, the Scottish engineer who was closely associated with Boulton & Watts' Soho Foundry in Birmingham used coal-gas to light his house in Redruth, Cornwall and in doing so, laid the foundations of an industry which now encompasses the world. On this site stood part of the former Nechells Gasworks one of a number of large town gasworks operated by Birmingham Corporation until Nationalisation of the gas industry in 1949. Production came to an end in 1968 and the site remained derelict until 1988, when a comprehensive reclamation scheme was undertaken by British Gas, with financial assistance from the Government's derelict land programme. The regeneration of this important site is now being completed by Mainstream Forty Seven Limited, a joint venture between British Gas PLC and BHH Group PLC.

William Murdock, a Scottish engineer, pioneered the practical use of coal gas for lighting in Britain, significantly influencing the development of urban illumination and industrial processes. The Nechells Gasworks site commemorates this legacy as one of Birmingham’s major gas production facilities until its closure in 1968.

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