Notable buildings Launceston Gasworks

1 notable buildings

1.1 chief engineer s cottage
1.2 company office
1.3 horizontal retort
1.4 gasometers

1.4.1 no. 1 gas holder
1.4.2 no. 2 gas holder
1.4.3 no. 3 gas holder
1.4.4 no. 4 gas holder
1.4.5 no. 5 gas holder
1.4.6 no. 6 gas holder


1.5 governor cottage
1.6 carburetted water gas building
1.7 meter shop
1.8 vertical retort building
1.9 laboratory , workshop

notable buildings

the company office , chief engineer s cottage boland street after restoration


chief engineer s cottage

the chief engineer of site used live in ornate cottage on ne corner of site. first engineer william falconer scotland , many more followed. unusual feature associated cottage chief engineer s private, heated swimming pool. said still there, buried under courtyard between cottage , gas laboratories. pool heated vertical retort building s boilers , strictly out of bounds workers unless needed fix it. cottage restored , serves private residence.

company office

the company office located next chief engineer s cottage, , once looked out across north esk until levee system built on wharves. original building brick cottage in 1880s had facade rebuilt in victorian style. headquarters have been restored along other buildings on site s north facing boland street.

out in front of company office 1 of original gas lamps used in city. company operated 123 gas lamps across city special 1 outside office. lamps removed when city turned electric lighting during restoration work, original lamp located , returned site stands.

horizontal retort

built local brick sandstone quoining , arches, horizontal retort building erected in 1860 , 1 of oldest buildings on site. central portion of building used have 39.3 m (129 ft) brick chimney , housed 18 retorts room additional 6. on either side of main building 2 wings: western 1 storage of coal imported form nsw , other being purifying house contained smiths , gasfitters shops. second coal store, located carbureted water gas building stands, closely followed same design. gas produced in building stored in 15 m (50 ft) diameter no.1 , no.2 gasometers. brick chimney built henderson francis , miller being contracted build main building, @ total cost of £3333. in 1929, building flooded depth of 4 ft during great floods of 1929, after damage repaired quickly.

when vertical retort built in 1930s, horizontal retorts removed along chimney , replaced boiler , large tar plant in mid portion of building associated 3 oil tanks outside on southern face. brick , masonry portion of eastern wing re-fitted 3 exhausters , steel , galvanized iron portion upgraded contain 4 more purifiers adding total of 8.

today building falling disrepair despite minor restoration work being carried out few years earlier , of sandstone heavily eroded. north face of building partially original. last restoration attempts 1980s saw purifiers removed , converted conference rooms; closing open air structure galvanized iron , plate glass bearing new gasworks emblem, based on ventilation hole patterns in vertical retort s walls.

gasometers

located along southern perimeter of site facing cimitier street, gasometers gas produced @ gasworks stored @ pressure later distribution. @ present, 3 of original 5 gasometers on site in various levels of salvage. newest no.5 gasometer built in mid 1940s untouched except gas bell has been removed , pit filled. gasometer mounted on concrete base 12 sided steel frame mounted on top has been painted red. few meters east brick , sandstone foundations of 2 smaller gasometers; middle dating late 1800s , furthest east being 1 of original 2 built in 1860. these 2 gas holders smaller newer 1 , last painted boral s yellow , green colour scheme before dismantled in 2007. shortly after dismantling, proposal forwarded council develop 3 gasometers single 6 storey apartment block cancelled. other 1 of first 2 gasometers on site dismantled in 1900s foundations , water pit being converted covered tar , liquor located in eastern corner of site (now vacant). in 1946 plan site, final 250 000 cubic ft. gasometer proposed built northwest of no.5 gasometer canceled along rest of proposal.

no. 1 gas holder

capacity: 35 000 cubic ft. (991 cubic meters)
lift segments: 1
construction date: 1860
current condition: converted tar , liquor pit in 1900s. demolished later

no. 2 gas holder

capacity: 35 000 cubic ft. (later 70 000 cubic ft. (1982 cubic meters))
lift segments: 1 (later 2)
construction date: 1860 (rebuilt 1943)
current condition: frame , bell removed. base intact buried under parking lot (exposed prior 2014)

no. 3 gas holder

capacity: 70 000 cubic ft. (1982 cubic meters)
lift segments: 2
construction date: 1860s-80s (exact date unverified)
current condition: frame , bell removed. base intact buried under parking lot (exposed prior 2014)

no. 4 gas holder

capacity: 140 000 cubic ft. (3964 cubic meters)
lift segments: 2
construction date: 1910s (exact date unverified)
current condition: demolished

no. 5 gas holder

capacity: 250 000 cubic ft. (7079 cubic meters)
lift segments: 3
construction date: 1944
current condition: frame , base intact. bell removed

no. 6 gas holder

capacity: 250 000 cubic ft. (7079 cubic meters)
lift segments: 3
construction date: 1946 (proposed)
current condition: never built


one of 2 j&j braddock gasometers in governor cottage


governor cottage

located on south of site bordering cimitier street, small galvanized iron , timber building used gaswork s distribution point. rest of southern half of site, building in disrepair of windows broken vandals. inside, of original machinery still intact such 2 miniature braddock gasometers largely intact , ornately decorated. miniature gasometer on eastern side of building connected onto inlet mains main gasometers on site (from point leaves purifiers in horizontal retort building), second being directly connected outlet mains between gasometers , main governor. main governor located @ of building along exhauster , various meters , pressure gauges. original governor first installed in 1860 when gasworks first built , changed little since though building has been rebuilt. governor distributed gas 10 gas mains (2 large , 8 smaller) largest 2 visible on external surface of building.

as part of development proposal 2007, building meant restored public historic site interpretive panels canceled in 2008.

carburetted water gas building

the carburetted water gas building located next vertical retort house , last used offices origin energy after carbureted water gas plant removed within. though built later in gasworks history (post 1940s), closely imitates same style vertical retort through use of steel , brick. building 3 storeys high small 4th level on roof.

when built in 1956, building built around single carbureted water gas plant plans later second. plant dominated first 3 levels of building massive steel furnace , generator blocks (steel structures lined firebrick on interior). first floor (ground level) housed many associated machinery items including both electric , steam powered exhausters, wash box , tram cart. upper level used coal store gravity feeders connecting plant.

as part of current development, carbureted water gas building being restored , connected onto vertical retort house via glass atrium mimicking profile of buildings rooflines.

meter shop

the meter shop new gas meters assembled , tested. 1958, there 6333 meters across launceston. gas fitters did meter rounds bicycle, loading bicycles needed 20 ft pipes plywood. engineering staff , company fitters used building write daily logbooks. meter shop played secondary role staff training center , under origin energy ownership in late 1900s, solely used purpose. gas fitters, meter makers , repairers had apprenticeship lasted 5 years men working company whole life. management stayed total of 4 company secretaries in 120 years. @ peak, company employed 80 people. company encouraged family feeling among employees, organising annual christmas picnics.

three of 8 coke extractors in vertical retort building s main hall in various levels of salvage before being scrapped in late 2012



additional waste heat boiler (partially dismantled) in rear room of vertical retort building. note insulated co2 flue connecting boiler retort blocks.


vertical retort building

the 29m high (not including stack height) vertical retort building built in 1932 primary gas production facility launceston gasworks site. building officially opened on 19 march 1932 , described company director masterpiece of modern chemistry , engineering. during opening ceremony, buildings moving components switched on , visitors taken top of retorts view advanced gasworks of time. during later operation, building described harsh place work in due blazing heat, noise , gas fumes.

the vertical retort recognisable building on site , iconic building in launceston. building built steel frame forming grid pattern, supporting individual panes of brick walls. inscription cook gas written in top floor s brickwork. building climbs 5 stories coal conveyor still intact running front of building, though breaker pit @ base has been filled in. original building shorter in length , contained 4 retorts foundations later extensions included , used building extended. small rear section plus first connected division of building part of extension divide visible slight change in brick colour.

labeled cutaway diagram of vertical retort house s internal components

inside, coal transported top level deposited in long hopper @ top level of building (which contains conveyor drive , water tank). hopper, coal fed via single chute vertical retort block divided 8 separate retorts, heated furnaces (and later additional steel furnace in room) located on first floor (ground level). extracted gas collected in 2 parallel collector mains running along top of retort block. accumulated tar , liquor drained collector mains small liquor separating tank on 3rd floor on western side of building. collected gas forced through retort governor (recently removed scrap) , foul main runs down of retort house purified elsewhere on site. horizontal retorts, vertical retort run on newcastle coal imported new south wales. in 1950s, modifications made gasworks allow site use fingal coal fingal valley in north east tasmania.

unlike many gasworks sites in australia either demolished or stripped after closure, vertical retort house in launceston still retained of original machinery after abandoned. both electric coke extractor eccentric , conveyor drive remained intact within building along of fourth floor machinery. waste heat boiler on sublevel 3 had been reduced in size due salvage operations in 1980s waste heat boiler on first floor (ground level) partially dismantled. original brick furnaces (producer blocks) @ front of building dismantled exception of free-standing, brick archway used allow conveyor pass through furnace block. original lighting , electronic equipment still remained within building both on first floor , electrical room on 3rd floor @ of building. coke extractors on underside of retort blocks in various levels of salvage complete being located @ rear of building.

since abandoned in favor of lpg in 1977, vertical retort left fall ruin large piles of droppings cover floor , machinery due pigeons used building roost because of many openings in brickwork. in late july 2012, of building underwent cleaning remove accumulated waste interior before scrapping , internal demolition stripped building of heritage value make way building proposal.

laboratory , workshop

located between chief engineers cottage , vertical retort, laboratory essential part of site. every day, samples of gas tested in building quality. laboratory no safe place, before switching butane town gas in 1978, coal gas process produced many hazardous by-product gasses such ammonia , hydrogen sulfide potential hazard. building fitted drafting table lab assistant drew site plans when needed. distribution maps launceston s gas mains produced here.

during restoration in 2007, iron-clad, timber frame building lifted foundations make way new laneway site. building relocated few meters north placed on new foundations , new, modern section of similar proportions added it. laboratory , workshop has since been restored , in 1 of windows displayed various items used on gasworks site uncovered during restoration.