LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Coventry Gas Works & Bedlam Lane Crossing

E Gammie

Foleshill Gas Works occupied a forty acre site on the western side of Coventry Canal between New Inn Bridge (No 8) and Judd's Lane Bridge (No 9). The production site was to the south-east of the Coventry-Nuneaton railway and the gasholders were to the north-west. From 1820 Coventry's gas supply had been delivered from a site at Gas Street, near the city centre, firstly by a private company, then from 1884 as a Coventry Corporation undertaking. By the end of the 19th century it was struggling to meet increased demand from industry and in 1898 the Corporation purchased land at Foleshill on which the new coal gas works were constructed and opened in 1909. The Corporation later purchased the Undertakings of the Kenilworth (1927) and Bedworth (1930) Gas Companies and gas was supplied to those areas from the Foleshill Works. By 1937 it was described as 'equipped with the most modern plant for the manufacture of gas and by-products resulting from the Carbonization of coal' and at that time about 40% of the total output was taken by industry (Coventry Official Handbook 1937).

Gas production was nationalised by the Gas Act of 1948 and the Coventry area came under the control of West Midlands Gas Board. By 1972 coal gas production at the site had ceased and the Coventry Canal Society's booklet of that year, 'Coventry's Waterway', described the gas works as 'a shadow of its former self'. The gas holders remained and took gas supplied from Tipton. A 1984 version of the same booklet has a description of the site when in production as having 'boxed in conveyor belts, cooling towers, tanks and gas holders' as well as its own railway system on an oval loop, worked by 3 saddle tank engines. Coal was delivered and by-products such as tar, coke and clinker were removed by canal. Later, the gasometers were removed, with the last one being demolished in 2002 and, after ground decontamination, the site was redeveloped into the Arena retail park and Ricoh stadium.

Coal Consumption

by Keith Turton

The amount of coal consumed varied from year to year and the coal contracts were usually recorded in the company minutes. A random sample for 1925 is detailed below. A copy of the original summary is in my possession, but is a very poor reproduction from a badly faded typewritten page. It is highly unusual for a gasworks of this size to divide its supply from twenty-two different sources, ten to twelve would be the most likely distribution.

This totals 150,000 tons by contract, and additional spot purchases were made at the Birmingham Coal Exchange. It represents 3,000 tons of coal a week, if all of it was delivered by rail that indicates 300 wagon loads a week or a trainload every day. Some of the contractors listed above are unknown to this author, although most are names that are very well known throughout the industry.

The contract for supply from the Low Laithes Colliery deserves comment, little is known of the Northern Coal Co. The same colliery was represented in the previous year by the disreputable London contractor Montague Smith, a representative of a family well known but best forgotten in the coal trade. It is unlikely that any of this coal would have been delivered by canal due to the remoteness of the colliery of origin, with the exception of the two Staffordshire collieries shown above. However canal traffic carried by-products such as coke until the 1940's.

The illustration of the line of coal wagons in the company's rail interchange siding highlights the frustration in researching Private Owner rail wagons. No ownership of the two wagons lettered 'U M' can be found. The three wagons of the Swanwick Colliery near Ripley in Derbyshire may have been delivering coal ordered on the spot market, that colliery is not recorded among the regular suppliers to the gasworks.

Coventry Gas Works Locomotives

(information from Robert Ferris)

After May 1949 this site became: British Gas Corporation (West Midlands Region, Warwickshire Division) Coventry Works, Foleshill.

Standard Gauge Locomotives

In 1966 the Warwickshire Railway Society wrote:

A Ruston 88DS (four wheel diesel shunter, Wks No.284844, built July 1950) now performs most of the work with Peckett No.20 (Wks No.2032) as spare locomotive. Peckett No.1 (Wks No.1854) is stored out of use and is unlikely to work again.

Sheppards (Coals and Metals) Limited

Sheppards (Coals and Metals) Limited, Coventry, were not only scrap metals merchants but also coal merchants on a medium scale, From what little information is available emerging in the 1930's from the Warwickshire business of the colliery owners J. and N. Nadin, owners of the Stanton Colliery near Swadlincote, Derbyshire with a widespread retail trade in Birmingham, Coventry and Worcestershire.

The company also operated a wagon fleet, the solitary references are in the wagon registers record the transfer that of some of J and N Nadim wagons which were repainted. A model has been produced that can be replicated by using transfers made by Powsides (www.pwesides.co.uk) their cartalogue number is 171. Trading as Sheppards Coals Ltd, the very descriptive lettering on the wagon side shows that they were successors to J. & N. Nadin and Co. Ltd and that branches were located at Coventry, Leamington,(Avenue station) Warwick and Kenilworth. From the model, the source of which is not known, they were painted red with white letters shaded black.

Ref: misc_kt386 Powsides An image of the Sheppard Coal wagon wagon No 308 made up from transfers by Powsides

Bedlam Lane Crossing

Ref: misc_covgas3049 C Allbright Ex-LNWR Gate Keepers Crossing Cottage on the right hand side of Bedlam Lane which led to the old bone mill

Ref: misc_covgas3205 C Allbright Looking south from Bedlam Lane crossing towards Lythalls Lane bridge with the new industrial units on the right

Ref: misc_covgas3204 C Allbright View of the former L&NWR Signal cabin located on Bedlam Lane crossing seen during the Winter of 1971

Ref: misc_covgas3208 C Allbright Close up showing the method of securing crossing timbers for road vehicles at Bedlam Lane crossing

Ref: misc_covgas3220 C Allbright Detailed close up of the level crossing gates at Bedlam Lane looking north towards Nuneaton

Ref: misc_covgas3207 C Allbright Looking north from Bedlam Lane crossing to Nuneaton with the Gasometers on the left hand side

Ref: misc_covgas256 H Addison Bedlam Lane Crossing Signalman, Mr Gurney, poses for the camera in front of one of the level crossing gates

Ref: misc_covgas259 P Lee Map showing the boundary of the Coventry to Nuneaton Railway and Bedlam Lane Crossing and Gate House

Ref: misc_covgas370 R Instone A page of the LMS Western Division Sectional Appendix, 1937 issue showing Bedlam Gates Crossing

Ref: misc_covgas371 R Instone A L&NWR Diagram showing the new sorting sidings at Three Spires Junction on 10th September 1916

Coventry Gasworks and Sidings

Ref: misc_covgas2079 Anon Bagnall 0-4-0ST No 1 is seen working hard shunting empty seven plank wagons in Coventry Gasworks' sidings

Ref: misc_covgas131 G Coltas View of Coventry Gasworks with the sidings on the left, the gasometers on the right and signal box in the distance

Ref: lnwrf131a G Coltas Close up showing an unidentified Bagnall 0-4-0ST locomotive paused between duties at Coventry Gasworks

Ref: misc_covgas1480 AW Flowers Ex-LMS 2-6-2T No 40157 is seen at the head of a five-coach service between Nuneaton and Coventry

Ref: misc_covgas1479 AW Flowers Ex-LMS 2-8-0 8F No 48258 is seen running tender first past Foleshill gasometers whilst at the head of a coal train

Ref: misc_covgas229 P Lee View of Coventry Gasworks' single road engine shed located alongside the water tank

Ref: misc_covgas3051 C Allbright The remains of what was part of the coke plant within Coventry Gas works as seen during the winter of 1971

Ref: misc_covgas3203 C Allbright A distant view across to the old coking plant with Coventry Gas Work's Gasometers to the rear in the Winter of 1971

Ref: lnwrf3398 Anon Looking towards Nuneaton with the Gas Works sidings to the right of the photographer located on the up line

Ref: misc_covgas257 M Billington One of Coventry Gas Works' little four-wheeled Bagnall locomotives stands adjacent to one of the water towers

Ref: misc_covgas258 M Billington Another Coventry Gas Works' 0-4-0ST Bagnall locomotive stands in steam alongside one of the workshops

Ref: misc_covgas351 CET Mr Shaw seen just prior to diesel power being introduced at the Gas Works, stands in front of the last steam engine

Ref: misc_covgas352 CET John Shaw is seen with his fireman Snowy at Coventry Gas Works carrying out some maintenance work

Ref: kt345 Cusworth Hall Collection Coventry Corporation Gas Department Wagon No 161 built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company

Ordnance Survey Maps, Schematics and Trackplans

Ref: misc_covgas230 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map revised 1923 dated 1926 showing Coventry Gas Works and Longford station

Ref: misc_covgas231 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map revised 1936 and dated 1936 showing Coventry Gas Works and Longford station

Ref: misc_covgas232 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map revised 1912 dated 1919 showing Coventry Gas Works and Longford station

Ref: misc_covgas133 Michael Rutherford A schematic drawing showing the stations and a variety of works sidings which connected with the Nuneaton branch line

Ref: lnwr_track3372 B Hickman LNWR trackplan of Coventry Corporation Gas Works Sidings at Foleshill on the Nuneaton to Leamington line