Gaslamp circa 1910
 

The NGA holds up to two kilometres of records covering the history and development of the UK gas industry. The records date from about 1812 to the present day and include many of the administrative, financial, legal, technical, property and personnel records of the industry.

Our online catalogue is gradually being made available, many records are now available to search National Gas Archive (nationalgrid.com)

The archives are divided geographically by region or Area Gas Board and are divided into two sections:

• archives created before 1949 by the local gas undertakings
• archives created since nationalisation in 1949.

The archive also holds the corporate records of the various bodies responsible for the industry since 1949. These records include the Board and commitee minutes of the Gas Council , British Gas Corporation and British Gas plc , papers of the Chairmen, and more recently the privatisation papers.

Among the highlights of the collection are:

• Many site plans of local gas works and associated property records, dating from the 19th century
• Minute books of many of the early gas undertakings
• Technical drawings and specifications of buildings and plants
• A large collection of retail and domestic appliance catalogues dating from the early 20th century
• Laboratory books from research stations such as Watson House for 1930's - 1970's
• An extensive photographic archive consisting of up to half a million images in various formats
• A good support library including Gas Journal, Regional magazines, technical papers and reports.
• A collection of advertising and retail material
• Film and video collection

History of the Gas Industry

• The Pioneers
• Early Commercial Enterprises
• Competition from Electricity
• From the First World War
• Nationalisation
• British Gas Corporation
• From Privatisation to Transco (Part of BG Plc)
• From Transco (Part of BG Plc) to National Grid
• From National Grid to National Gas