Tag: gasometer

Granton Gasholder: Latest stage of refurbishment completed

The scaffolding has been removed from the iconic Granton Gasholder as works to refurbish the structure now known as ‘Gas Holder 1’ are complete.

The public park being created within the gasholder frame is also on track to be finished by the end of the year.  

The work, part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s £1.3bn regeneration of the wider area, has been carried out by McLaughlin & Harvey using £16.4m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. In addition, the Scottish Government provided £1.2m for a new high quality park as part of their Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme. 

The new green space will have multi-sensory play zones, a dedicated area for permanent and temporary public art, a relaxation space, outdoor trails and tracks for exercise as well as a large outdoor area for sports, markets, seasonal events, community use, festivals, performance arts, exhibitions and play. Work is also being carried out to plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers improving biodiversity and local habitat in the area. 

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “It’s exciting to see the iconic structure free from scaffolding. It has been part of Edinburgh’s skyline for over 120 years so its restoration at the centre of our £1.3bn regeneration of the area is a spectacular focal point.

“We previously shared the dramatic footage of the original bell within the structure being ripped apart by machinery. It marked a historic moment as the park is being transformed to serve a completely different purpose for the local community who will be able to enjoy arts, sports and culture there for years to come.  

“Work on the park within the structure continues and I’m looking forward to seeing ‘Gas Holder 1’ open to great fanfare in the coming months.”

Graham Brown, Senior Contracts Manager from McLaughlin & Harvey said: “Taking down the last section of scaffolding marks an important milestone in this complex project.

“We had to design and engineer a scaffolding structure that was robust, safe and able to bear the wind loading. It gave us the platform to blast off existing paintwork before carrying out thousands of individual steel repairs on the frame to ensure it is structurally sound.

“We finished off the frame with four new coats of paint, the majority of which was applied by hand. It’s been a pleasure working with the City of Edinburgh Council and our supply chain to give a new lease of life to this historical landmark and contribute to the regeneration of the area.

“We’re looking forward to handing it over and seeing the local community benefitting from it for years to come.”

Fascinating gasholder facts

  • Over 100K rivets holding the structure together.
  • Total cost of original construction £18,968.
  • Was opened in 1901, making it 122 years old.
  • It’s since been painted 72 times, with four new coats applied during the project.
  • 26 columns in total with a height of 44m. Each column is 9.3m apart.
  • Granton was one of 12 gas storage tanks for the greater Edinburgh area. These 12 tanks had a combined capacity of 175,000 cubic meters of storage. At the time they were in operation the demand was around 28,000 cubic meters an hour (at its peak).
  • The lowest tier was erected with the use of a steam locomotive crane.

Further information on Granton Waterfront regeneration 

The £1.3bn regeneration project at Granton Waterfront is using brownfield land to build a new sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood which is well linked to surrounding communities and is somewhere residents will be proud to live. Tenants recently started moving into the first completed development of environmentally friendly affordable homes, with thousands more planned for the area.

Active travel routes are now open and restoration of the former Granton Station building and public square is now complete with Wasps operating the building as a creative industries shared work space.

Alongside this, The Pitt will begin operating out of the recently renovated 20 West Shore Road early in 2025.

Gas engineers re-enact historic lunch at Granton gasholder

Gas engineers gathered in Granton Waterfront yesterday to re-enact a historic lunch which took place prior to the iconic Granton gasholder being put into use in 1901.

Last week, the City of Edinburgh Council announced that the bell that floated up as water filled the gasholder in Granton Waterfront, has been taken apart. 

The work carried out by McLaughlin & Harvey is part of the ongoing restoration works using £16.4m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The money is being used to restore the original 76 x 46 metre frame to look like new.

Historic records on the original lunch said that attendees were taken ‘by special train’  to a ‘special station’ built for the gasworks in Granton where more than 50 members were met by ‘the Edinburgh and Leith Gas Commissioner’.

The documents go on to describe the gasholder as ‘a works that promises to be a model of structural beauty and mechanical ingenuity’.

The station mentioned in the documents is the former Granton Station which has been completely refurbished and will be managed from this year by social enterprise charity Wasps Studios, who work across Edinburgh and Scotland, to provide affordable workspace for artists and the creative industries. 

The newly created Granton Station Square in front of the building will also be host to events and local community activity events in the coming years. 

Using a further £1.2m from the Scottish Government, the Council plan to open up the area to create a new and exciting multifunctional public space within the gasholder frame as part of their wider £1.3bn regeneration project to create a new sustainable coastal town at Granton Waterfront.

Council leader Cammy Day said:  “The gasholder is so much more than a giant steel structure and is steeped in local history. I’m really pleased that the industry is reenacting the original lunch in this way creating another event for the history books.

“The gasholder can be seen for miles around so I’m very excited about our plans to transform it to serve the local community and visitors with a completely different purpose as a place for people to enjoy arts, sports, leisure and culture for years to come.

“We will make sure the gasholder becomes the centrepiece of our wider £1.3bn regeneration of the area with thousands of environmentally friendly homes, well connected to the rest of city, culture and art spaces and more planned.”

McLaughlin & Harvey Contracts Manager Graham Brown said: “We were delighted to host the Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers at our Granton Gas Holder project today to mark the luncheon held on-site back in 1901.

“The gas holder has an interesting and rich history which we are delighted to be adding to the next chapter of with our restoration works.”

IGEM CEO Ollie Lancaster said: “It’s a genuine delight to have the opportunity to visit such a special gasholder in Granton, Edinburgh, which has been used for many years to keep homes warm, put hot food on the table and power businesses in the region.

“This stunning landmark has played a significant contribution to balancing local energy supply and demand since it was commissioned, shortly after the 1901 luncheon my colleagues from yesteryear enjoyed.

“The gas industry has a rich history that we should celebrate, like we are doing today, while we also work hard to secure an affordable energy system for the future and develop the role of hydrogen in the transformation of our sector.”

The Bell, the bell … Granton gas holder work progresses

The bell that floated up as water filled the historic gasholder in Granton Waterfront has been taken apart to make way for work to begin to restore the original 76 x 46 metre frame to look like new.

The City of Edinburgh Council plan to open up the area to create a new and exciting multifunctional public space as part of their wider £1.3bn regeneration project to create a new sustainable coastal town at Granton Waterfront.

McLaughlin & Harvey began work on the site in January of this year on behalf of the Council using £16.4m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The Scottish Government has also provided an additional £1.2m to provide a high quality public park within the gasholder frame.  

The space within the restored gasholder is to have multi-sensory play zones, a dedicated space for permanent and temporary public art, a relaxation area, outdoor trails and tracks for exercise as well as a large outdoor space for sports, markets, seasonal events, community use, festivals, performance arts, exhibitions and play.

Work will also be carried out to plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers improving biodiversity and local habitat in the area.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “It was really dramatic to see the bell being ripped apart by the machinery. It marked a historic moment as this iconic structure will be transformed now to move on with the times to serve a completely different purpose for the local community to enjoy arts, sports and culture for future generations to come.

“Now the bell has gone the contractor can get on with the exciting work to transform the frame back to its original glory which will be seen for miles around.

“The scale and ambition of the gasholder nicely mirrors that of this £1.3bn regeneration project where we are using brownfield land to build a new sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood which is well linked to surrounding communities and is somewhere residents will be proud to live.

“We’ve already started building some of the thousands of environmentally friendly affordable homes planned and active travel routes, along with recently completing the restoration of the former Granton Station building to become a modern workplace and cultural hub, with public square.”

UK Government Minister for Levelling Up, Dehenna Davison, said: “The Granton gasholder has been part of Edinburgh’s skyline for over 120 years, and will soon be brought back to life as a real community asset.

“The bell’s removal will ensure the structure can be restored to its former glory, whilst the space will be brought into the 21st Century by becoming a destination for families, residents, and future generations to enjoy.

“We’re delighted to have supported this project through £16.4 million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund which will ensure this iconic structure will serve as a beacon to people in the area for many years to come.”

Seamus Devlin, McLaughlin & Harvey Civil Engineering Director, said: “McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to be main contractor for the restoration works at Granton gasholder.

“We bring with us a wealth of experience in the civil engineering sector, and look forward to completing the deconstruction of the bell this week and the removal of the walls in the upcoming weeks.”

Fascinating gasholder facts

  • Over 100K rivets holding the structure together
  • Total cost of original construction £18,968.
  • Was opened in 1901, making it 122 years old.
  • It’s since been painted 72 times.
  • 26 columns in total with a height of 42m. each column is 9.3m apart.
  • Granton was one of 12 gas storage tanks for the greater Edinburgh area. These 12 tanks had a combined capacity of 175,000 cubic meters of storage. At the time they were in operation the demand was around 28,000 cubic meters an hour (at its peak).
  • The lowest tier was erected with the use of a steam locomotive crane.

The Granton Gas Holder is unique as the umbrella which supports the tank roof when the system is not pressurised, was made from timber as opposed to cast iron. These timbers were in remarkably great condition when demolition began.

Gasworks Station talk and walk

granton:hub is delighted to invite you to an outdoor talk at the Granton Gasworks Train Station to listen to Kenneth Williamson who will outline the significance of this historic listed building.

The Granton Gas Works Station was opened on 27 February, 1903 to take the workers to and from the Gas Works. It closed in 1942. The station is currently going through a complete refurbishment and will become a major enterprise hub managed by WASPS.

The talk will be followed by a walk, taking in further landmarks such as Granton’s Gasometer, Caroline Park House and the listed Madelvic car factory to arrive at Madelvic House, the base of granton:hub, at around 2:45pm for tea/coffee and cake.

Then, between 3-5pm, you will be able to join staff and students from Edinburgh College of Art, to hear more about their project Granton: Cultural Heritage at the Edge: Edinburgh at the Seaside.

This research project was carried out in February by academics and 20 postgraduate students who interviewed the local community on their views of cultural heritage and what it means for Granton.

Their work was placed on display in the granton:hub in February, at the North Edinburgh Community Festival in May, and also in Paris, where we joined representatives of 7 other cities across Europe, from Krakow to Madrid, to discuss Cultural Heritage at the Edge.

Visitors will be able to view the many display boards and exhibition materials, to hear more about what we learned from our European partners, and to join with us in developing a Europe-wide Manifesto for Cultural Heritage at the Edge.

Refreshments will be served.

PLEASE NOTE: Kenneth Williamson’s talk will last approximately 45 minutes and will be held outside, next to the display boards on the fence outside the Granton Gasworks station (opposite Morrison’s superstore on Waterfront Broadway).

Please arrive by 1:45pm. After the talk, participants will walk (0.6 miles) along Waterfront Avenue to granton: hub which is located at Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS.

The walk is suitable for children aged 12+ who must be accompanied by an adult

Book your place via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/july-2022-granton-gas…

Hidden Door crowdfunder is live!

Last week we revealed our plan to transform a disused warehouse into a vast exhibition and performance space as part of Hidden Door 2021.

With this year’s festival taking place outdoors at the old Granton Gasworks, we now have the chance to use a nearby warehouse as well, if we can raise the funds to make it happen.

The additional venue will double the footprint of the festival this September and allow us to exhibit the work of recent art graduates whose degree shows were cancelled due to COVID-19.

The graduates, proud parents and audience members alike will be able to immerse themselves in the exhibition experience whilst staying safe and covid-compliant.

To support the plans, we have now launched a Kickstarter campaign with a wide range of rewards including an immersive treasure hunt experience through the festival grounds, exclusive hand-printed T-shirts, VIP passes for the festival, limited edition art prints and lots more.

This will only be possible with your help, so please take a look at the campaign and support us if you can … thank you x

BACK OUR CROWDFUNDER

Hidden Door to transform huge warehouse into exhibition space

HIDDEN Door have revealed plans to transform a disused warehouse into a vast exhibition and performance space as part of their 2021 arts festival in Granton this September.

The festival group is launching a crowdfunder to pay for use of the warehouse space. They explain:

This year’s five day festival is taking place outdoors, on land next to the Granton Gasworks, from 15 – 19 September. However, the open air venue isn’t suitable for visual art exhibitions, so we have now got the chance to make use of a nearby warehouse as well, if we can raise the necessary funds to make it happen.

The additional venue will double the footprint of the festival, allowing us to exhibit the work of recent art graduates whose degree shows were cancelled due to COVID-19. The graduates, proud parents and audience members alike will be able to immerse themselves in the exhibition experience whilst staying safe and covid-compliant.

To support the plans, we are set to launch a crowdfunder to raise £10,000, with supporters able to pick from a wide range of rewards including an immersive treasure hunt experience through the festival grounds, exclusive hand-printed T-shirts from Acorn Print Studio, VIP passes for the festival and limited edition prints by Hidden Door artists.​​

The visual artists will be chosen from Hidden Door’s Graduate Support Network, launched earlier this year to support recent graduates. These artists will be paid for their work through the proceeds raised from this year’s Crowdfunder. For many of them, it will be their first paid creative opportunity.

Hannah Stewart, Project Manager, said: “Graduates across Scotland have missed out on the opportunity to exhibit their work because of the onset of a global pandemic. This has greatly impacted their introduction to the industry and their subsequent livelihood.

“It goes without saying that the last 16 months have been challenging for everyone, especially the Arts and Culture sector. These artists are not only trying to establish themselves and their career, but to reinforce the importance and value of art and culture during these unprecedented times.

“As a festival that celebrates the artistic integrity of Scotland and the wider UK, it is Hidden Door’s duty to help alleviate these artists’ feelings of being devalued, discouraged and despairing.

“We at Hidden Door want to help give these emerging artists the exhibition they deserve. We also want to make sure Scotland doesn’t miss out on the fresh creativity and drive that enriches the country.

“We have the venue and we’ve found the talent; we just need the community’s support to make it happen!”

The crowdfunding campaign will be launched on Kickstarter soon. 

Subscribe to Hidden Door’s mailing list to be notified when it’s live!

21CC Group spearheads landmark Granton Gasholder lights project

 Leading Scottish based events company, 21CC Group recently unveiled the output of months of planning with a new project delivered in partnership with The City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh College.  

The creative lighting design company were appointed to transform the iconic gasholder tower into one of Scotland’s biggest works of art, while providing opportunities for students at Edinburgh College to work on a live creative project.  

Commenting on the success and long-term objectives of the installation, Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group explained: “We are immensely proud to have been appointed for this project, and of the results achieved by our technical production company, 21CC Productions.

“For us, it’s about giving Edinburgh a new landmark and students hands-on experience with cutting edge equipment, that will enable them to leave school, college or university with the practical skills and head start in some of the key sectors for industry growth across Scotland. 

“Over the course of the next 2 years, we are also planning to work alongside Edinburgh College to further support the students with their practical experience on the ground, introducing them to some of the newest technology available and creating a platform for them to learn more about its practical application.”  

Through providing students at the college with direct access to this equipment, it is hoped that the innovative lighting project will support the enablement of skills and create an opportunity for students to turn theory into reality across key industry sectors including theatre, media, marketing, lighting design, sound production.

 Lead lighting designer on the project – and former pupil of Edinburgh College – Neill Fleming, Lighting Technician for 21CC Group, said: “As a former student of Edinburgh College myself, who has moved into a permanent role within the industry, I am so aware of the importance of real-life experience in creating true understanding and passion for the industry.

“This is an opportunity like no other, and our installation will enable existing students the opportunity to work alongside a leading team of professionals.”  

The spectacular launch – including Edinburgh Castle-style chases around the structure – showcased the brand-new lighting displays at Granton Gasholder in all its glory.

The tower has been an important fixture of Edinburgh’s Waterfront for over a century, and the launch itself marked the beginning of a vital regeneration project undertaken by The City of Edinburgh Council, with the display proudly illuminating the skyline for a period of up to two years. 

Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group concludes, “In a year where the event industry as a whole suffered greatly due the significant economic and social impact of Covid, this collaboration is significant on so many different levels, and a true symbol of hope at such a critical time.

“We are really looking forward to supporting the college further by taking some of these students and working to immerse them in some of our larger events later on in the year too.”

Hidden Door Festival heads to Granton Gasometer

MAIN PICTURE: Fabio Scalici Photography

Hidden Door Festival 2021 is heading to Granton Gasworks, with the festival taking place in the shadow of the historic gas holder. The site at West Shore Road will be transformed into an outdoor celebration of music, visual art, theatre, dance and spoken word from 15 – 19 September 2021.

Organisers plan on building two stages for music performances, lighting up the gas holder to create a dramatic backdrop, with sculptures displayed throughout the site.

The large, open space will allow Hidden Door 2021 to be flexible, adapting to comply with the  coronavirus restrictions in place at the time.

Over five days, the event will showcase the work of at least 30 graduates, four site artists, eight dance groups and two theatre companies, highlighting some of the best emerging talent in Scotland.

An old pencil drawing of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza sitting on their horses, by Wilhelm Marstrand.

David Martin, Creative Director of Hidden Door, said: “Taking on the site of the Granton Gasworks is an exciting opportunity for Hidden Door to adapt, as we need to, in order to start bringing live events back to the city. We are used to working in the nooks and crannies of disused buildings, so moving to a big open site like this is really liberating!

“We are designing the event so that there will be enough space for everyone to be safe and to be able to accommodate social distancing if we still need to work with those restrictions, but the epic nature of the site, with the incredible gas tower landmark looming over us, means we will be able to create a spectacle and an atmosphere, and bring about the wow-factor that our audience expects from a Hidden Door venue. 

“We can’t wait to get on site and start turning it into a creative and joyful showcase of Scotland’s emerging talent. Early career artists and performers have been so badly affected by the pandemic, so they are front and centre for this event, and we are looking forward to showing how much talent there is to celebrate.”

Edinburgh College, who occupy the area close to the Gasworks where the festival will be held, are enthusiastically welcoming the festival on to the site. As well as opening the gates to Hidden Door, they hope to use the festival as a training opportunity for students on a number of courses.

Jakki Jeffery, Head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “It’s fantastic that Hidden Door have chosen this site close to the iconic Granton Gasworks to host their 2021 festival.

“It will be wonderful to see the space transformed to showcase creative talent which we hope our students can play a part in, and take inspiration and experience from to boost their future careers.” 

Tickets

Tickets are available via www.hiddendoorblog.org/tickets or from Citizen Ticket. Once the full programme is announced, ticket holders will be able to select which days they would like to attend.