The
Wandsworth and District Gas Company was a maker and distributor of
coal gasCoal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
in south-west London from 1834 until 1949.
History
The Wandsworth
gasworksA gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
was built in 1834 on the Surrey bank of the
River ThamesThe River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
near
Wandsworth BridgeWandsworth Bridge crosses the River Thames in west London. It carries the A217 road between the areas of Battersea, near Wandsworth Town Station, in the London Borough of Wandsworth on the south of the river, and the areas of Sands End and Parsons Green, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and...
. Its supplied
WandsworthWandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
,
PutneyPutney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
and part of
BatterseaBattersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
. The undertaking became the
Wandsworth and Putney Gaslight and Coke Company in 1854 and was incorporated by
Act of ParliamentAn Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
in 1856.
In 1912 the company merged with the Mitcham and Wimbledon District Gaslight Company and the Epsom and Ewell Gas Company to form the
Wandsworth, Wimbledon and Epsom District Gas Company. In 1924 it bought land at
Worcester ParkWorcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
to build more gas holders.
In 1931 the company took over the Kingston upon Thames Gas Company and the Sutton Gas Company and retitled itself the
Wandsworth and District Gas Company. In 1936 it took over the Leatherhead Gas and Lighting Company and the Walton upon Thames and Weybridge Gas Company.
In 1949 the Wandsworth and District Gas Company was nationalised under the Gas Act 1948 and became part of the West Surrey Division of the South Eastern Gas Board.
Colliers
Coal was brought by
coastalCoastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
colliers from
North East EnglandNorth East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
and unloaded by cranes on
pontoonsA pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
on the Thames beside the gasworks. The colliers were
flatironsA flatiron is a type of coastal trading vessel designed to pass under bridges that have limited clearance. Her mast are hinged or telescopic, her funnel may be hinged, and her wheelhouse may also fold flat....
in order to fit under the Thames bridges upriver from the
Pool of LondonThe Pool of London is a part of the Tideway of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Tower Bridge. It was the original part of the Port of London. The Pool of London is divided into two parts, the Upper Pool and Lower Pool...
to Wandsworth.
The company's ships had brown upper works above hull level. The funnel was black with a broad white band edged with a narrow red band above and below, and the broad white band was emblazoned with the initials "W&D GAS Co". The house flag was red with the initials "W.G.C." in white capitals.
Fleet
In 1906 the company bought its own flatiron, SS
Radcliffe, which had capacity for about 1,050
long tonLong ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
s of coal.
In 1909 W. Dobson & Co of Newcastle-upon-Tyne built an 889
GRTGross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
flatiron collier for the gas company. She was named SS
Wandle, the first of three colliers in the company's service to carry that name. On 29 April 1916 in the North Sea about 15 miles (24.1 km) south-east of Souter Point near
WhitburnWhitburn is a village in South Tyneside, on the coast of North East England. It lies just to the north of the City of Sunderland in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into being, it was part of County Durham...
,
County DurhamCounty Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
the U-boat opened fire on her with its deck gun. As UB-27 was on the surface
Wandle engaged her. At the time it was believed
Wandle had sunk the submarine and the
masterA sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, G.E.A. Mastin, and his crew were celebrated in Britain. However, UB-27 survived the engagement and was not lost until July 1917.
In 1916
John Crown & Sons LtdJohn Crown & Sons Ltd, was a British shipbuilding company founded in 1847 and based on the River Wear, Sunderland.-Ships built by John Crown & Sons Ltd:-See also:* List of shipbuilders and shipyards...
of Sunderland built the 1,873 GRT flatiron SS
Lightfoot for the gas company. In 1918 she was sold to the Witherington and Everett Steam Ship Company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. On 16th March 1918
Lightfoot was in the
English ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
en route from London to Barry when the German submarine torpedoed and sank her two miles south of the Owers
LightshipA lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
off
Selsey BillSelsey Bill is a headland into the English Channel on the south coast of England in the county of West Sussex.The southern most town in Sussex is Selsey which is at the end of the Selsey Peninsula and Selsey Bill is situated on the towns southerncoastline...
.
In 1922 the
Burntisland Shipbuilding CompanyThe Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.-Founding and early years:...
of
FifeFife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland launched a 932 GRT flatiron for the gas company. She was named SS
Wandle to replace the 1909 vessel. In 1932 she was sold to
Stephenson Clarke & Associated CompaniesStephenson Clarke Shipping Limited, established in 1730, is Great Britain's oldest shipping company. The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.-History:...
who renamed her
Pitwines.
In 1923 Burntisland launched three
bargeA barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s for the gas company: the 180 ft (54.9 m) SS
Southfield in February, SS
Springfield in March and the 150 ft (45.7 m) SS
Beverley in May.
In 1924 Burntisland launched the 1,527 GRT flatiron SS
Woodcote for the gas company. In 1934 she was sold to Stephenson Clarke, who renamed her
Cerne.
In 1926 Burntisland launched the 1,350 GRT flatiron SS
Ewell in May and completed her in July. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet and in 1958 she was sold to new owners in
RavennaRavenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Italy who converted her into a grain
lighterA lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
and renamed her
Candiano.
In 1930 Burntisland launched the 1,351 GRT flatiron SS
Tolworth for the gas company. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet and in 1958 she was sold to new owners in
RavennaRavenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Italy who converted her into a harbour pontoon and renamed her
S Apolinare.
In 1931 Burntisland launched the 327 GRT barge
Kingston for the gas company.
In 1932 Burntisland launched a 1,482 GRT flatiron for the gas company. She became the third
SS WandleSS Wandle was a British coastal collier owned and operated by the proprietors of Wandsworth gas works in south-west London. She was a flatiron, meaning that she had a low-profile superstructure, hinged funnel, hinged or telescopic mast and folding wheelhouse to enable her to pass under low bridges...
, after her predecessor who was sold to Stephenson Clarke that same year. On 9th November 1942 an S-boat torpedoed her in the North Sea off
LowestoftLowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, almost completely blowing off her bow. She remained afloat and the next day was towed to
YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
and beached. She was then towed into
South ShieldsSouth Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
and dry-docked, a new bow was built onto her and on 8th April 1943 she was ready to return to service. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet and in 1959 she was towed to
RotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and scrapped.
In 1937 Burntisland launched the 1,597 GRT flatiron SS
Wimbledon for the gas company. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet. On 31st October 1956 the sea broke through her hatch covers and she sank about 4 nautical miles (7 km) off
BlakeneyBlakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village...
in Norfolk. One crew member was lost.
In January 1946 Burntisland launched the 1,720 GRT flatiron SS
Chessington for the gas company. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet and in 1966 she was sold to new owners in
GothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden who converted her into a storage hulk.
In April 1946 Burntisland launched the 1,787 GRT flatiron MV
Mitcham for the gas company. In 1949 she passed to the SEGB fleet and in 1969 she was sold to new owners in the
Cayman IslandsThe Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
who renamed her
Tortugas. In 1974 she was sold again to new owners in
PiraeusPiraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Greece and in 1975 she sank in a gale about 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) southwest of
SantoriniSantorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...
in the Mediterranean.