Look at this beauty. It's one of the Bethnal Green gasholder frames. These relics of the Industrial Revolution have lorded it over the East End since the 1860s. They're as old as the Underground.
Now they're threatened. A new housing development looks likely to raze the Victorian ironwork. An historic part of the eastern skyline will be deleted.
A petition has been launched by the East End Waterway Group to persuade developers St William Homes to go easy on the structures. The gasholders are unique. The smallest is described as 'the earliest and most ‘classical’ surviving example of its type in the world'.
Of course, more homes are desperately needed in London, but a balance needs to be struck to protect our industrial heritage.
To be fair, the developer has set out early plans that seek to retain at least one of the gasholders. Campaigners remain concerned, however, not least because the structures are immune from getting listed status until December 2020.
For more details, and to sign the petition, see Change.org. Images by the author.
