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Former Gasworks at Risk



The old gasworks on School Lane Sudbury have been empty for some time and despite the efforts of the Sudbury Gasworks Restoration Trust the building which would have originally supplied gas for the village and hall is still at risk.

The Grade II listed gasworks was built in 1874 and is attributed to George Devey, Architect of London. In addition to the Gasworks, Devey was employed by the 6th Lord Vernon to add the east wing to Sudbury Hall between 1876 and 1883.

The original purpose of the Gasworks was to manufacture gas from coal, which was brought down from mines at another Vernon estate in Poynton, Cheshire, to supply the Hall and the village. The process was developed by William Murdock in the 1790s, and a network of Gasworks was soon lighting up all major towns and cities across the country, as well as smaller estates and villages such as Sudbury. As such, the Gasworks are a scarce surviving example of a building type, even though the original gas producing equipment has long gone.

Currently in poor state of repair, the Sudbury Gasworks Restoration Trust was formed to seek a new use for the building and a HLF Grant application has been submitted, but there is still much work to do and the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust are keeping a keen eye on the progress.

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