Iconic Oyston Street gas holder to be demolished in South Shields as people are encouraged to share memories

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is set to start work later this month on the demolition and removal of the redundant Gas Holder Station located on Oyston Street, South Shields.

The facility, which hasn’t stored gas for over 10 years, will see the removal of the underground holder tank and the steel framework surrounding it while a disused building on the site will also be demolished.

The demolition work is scheduled to run from October, 26 2022 until April 2023 and engineers do not anticipate any direct impact to the local area.

Bosses say nuisance noise, dust and vibration will be monitored to ensure it remains below levels that would be deemed intrusive.

The iconic gas holder was part of a residential development named ‘Oystons Court’ in 1855 where a public house was located.

The surrounding land consisted of a railway line, a gasworks with three associated gasometers, an iron works, a brewery, a colliery, a pottery and a clay yard.

In 1886, the remaining gas holder on site was erected and the adjacent land was designated as a ’gasworks’.

The gas holder – made of riveted steel construction, with cast iron columns and steel lattice work and was built by G & W Walker Ltd – has since become a local landmark in South Shields.

Northern Gas Works is working with the Tyne & Wear Local Authority Archaeological Officer to capture and commemorate the giant structure and retain its heritage and history by recording the engineering and heritage aspects of the holder in photo and film footage.

Mark Johnson, Senior Project Manager from NGN’s Capital Projects team, said: “We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works.

"However, it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of South Shields. We want to assure residents, local businesses and road users that we will be working hard to complete this essential scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.

“We know how important these structures can be to communities and we’ll working closely with local residents and stakeholders to give them the opportunity to commemorate these structures as they disappear from the skyline.”

Local people are being encouraged to email their memories of the Oyston Street area over the years to [email protected] or send via their social media channels Facebook/northerngasnetworks and @NGNgas