Pont’s Hill, Littleport 1911

Gas Works & Fire Station, Gas House Green, Pont’s Hill, Littleport

History of the Gas Works

On the left of the picture are railings around Gas House Green. The Gas Works themselves are just out of site. They were built in 1867 on a site given by the Earl of Hardwicke. lord of the manor. The streets were first lit in 1885. The gas works closed in 1959.

In the centre of the photo is the shop of Cornelius Cawthorne.

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A steam fire engine was bought in 1869. It cost £540 and could fire 450 gallons of water per minute to a height of 200 feet. The Voluntary Fire Brigade had 12 members. The photo shows the engine in the 1940s after it had been converted to pneumatic tyres.