It's a gas, gas, gas...

摘要

This might look like just an old gasholder by the Regent's Canal, the sort of sight that typified the urban canalside scene in the days before urban waterway regeneration became fashionable. But if you know the canal, you'll notice that it's on the opposite side from where London's largest gasworks once stood - and that's because it's only just been erected, as London's newest and most unlikely canalside park. It is one of an impressive set of four disused but historic Victorian gasholders which stood in the way of an earlier stage in the redevelopment of the area behind King's Cross and St Pancras stations. The 16 hollow cylindrical cast iron columns, in two tiers and two levels of wrought iron riveted lattice girders, of Gasholder 8's frame were carefully dismantled and stored. It has now been re-erected and a circular lawn laid inside it to create Gasholder Park. Meanwhile, the frames of Gasholders 10 to 12, which were linked together as a 'Siamese triplet', are also being restored and will be re-erected around the new housing just visible to the right of the picture.