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Old iron gasholder named Britain's latest historic monument

Xinhua, March 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

An iconic Victorian gasholder that has been the backdrop to international matches at the British home of cricket was Thursday declared a historic monument.

It means the gasholder, overlooking the famous Oval cricket ground, once doomed to be dismantled and turned into scrap iron, is safe -- even though it is no longer in use.

Britain's heritage minister David Evennett has given Grade 2 Listed Status to the iron gasholder which for over 130 years has towered over The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, London.

The new status means Gasholder Number 1 will be protected for future generations following advice from Historic England.

Designed by the eminent engineer, Sir Corbet Woodall, Gasholder No.1 was the world's largest when it was built in 1847. It was later rebuilt in 1879 ahead of the world's first test cricket match at The Oval in 1880.

Gasholders have formed a part of Victorian London's skyline for over 200 years, when Britain relied on gas power for energy.

Plans were first announced in 1999 to dismantle all of Britain's gasholders, including the one at the Oval, due to being made largely redundant due to improvements in gas storage. Most have already disappeared from the skyline. Endit