In the 1850s James Wilson was the owner and host of the St Laurence Inn in Slamannan. Around 1855 he played the lead in constructing a gas works in the grounds behind the inn which it served. John Spence, gas-fitter and brass-founder in Airdrie, acted as the engineer and fitter. The works was large enough to provide gas to the neighbouring houses and shops. When it and the inn were sold on in 1859 it was stated that :
“Pipes have been laid into nearly the whole of the houses in the village and neighbourhood, and numerous buildings are being erected every year, thereby increasing demand for Gas” (Falkirk Herald 11 August 1859, 1).
It was 1885 before the gas was used for street lights.
There was no possibility of competition in this small village and the gas works continued to serve the community for almost a century. At the turn of the century there was talk about introducing electricity into the village but it was 1914 before the Parish Council was able to arrange a supply from the Bonnybridge Electric Power Company. Street lighting, however, remained illuminated by gas. In 1931 the gas lamp standards in the streets were finally taken down and replaced with electric ones. The gas works kept going throughout the Second World War, providing valuable chemicals for the explosives industry. Once the war was over it was not economically viable and closed. This was not due to nationalisation which was then taking place over the rest of Scotland, and Slamannan did not have mains gas until 2025. The site is now part of the landscaped area behind Thorndene Terrace.
National Grid Reference
| Slamannan Gas Works | NS 8553 7318 |
Falkirk Local History Society 