New exhibition showcases Birmingham's former landmark gas holders

The last-remaining gas holders in Birmingham are at the centre of a new exhibition after being demolished.

Thousands of drivers on the A38(M) Aston Expressway used to see the three structures until they were taken down.

Part of the structures along with oral histories are in the display at the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum.

Why the towers were painted in Aston Villa's colours of claret and blue has also been revealed, curator Dr Felicity McWilliams said.

Gas holders were usually painted in grey until a decision was taken in the 1990s to paint them a different colour, she explained.

Somebody either with the city council or National Grid opted for the claret colour for two of them and then an engineer intervened over the middle one.

"He was at a meeting, people suggested red, grey and then he, without saying he was a Villa fan, suggested the blue colour," Dr McWilliams said.

"He said as a Villa fan he found it entertaining he could see them from Birmingham City's ground."

The trio of gas holders used to store gas to light up the city's streets and were part of the Windsor Street Gasworks, built in 1846.

They were used until 2012 when National Grid moved to store gas in other ways, including underground pipes, and dismantled between 2021-22.

The museum was asked during demolition if they wanted anything and Dr McWilliams said they chose the connecting plate between the two "twin" holders as it had the colours on each side.

The plate, along with waders worn by a worker clearing sludge from the gas holders' base, are on show at the museum for 12 months until December.

National Grid recorded local memories during the demolition and some of them are also part of the exhibition.

"These were really iconic structures in the city, lots of oral histories talk about seeing them driving into the city, using them as landmarks," Dr McWilliams said.

"These were the last gas holders in Birmingham to be demolished, easy to not notice they are missing but they were a big part of the skyline."

Sarah Rea, from National Grid, said they were glad part of the structures was preserved.

"Although the gas holders have not been used for many years, we recognised their long history and place in the local community and city skyline," she said.

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