John Bray, one of our members, gave us an excellent talk about Town Gas and its role in Letchworth's development. John spent 30 years working as a Scientific Officer in the water and gas industries and started by explaining how town gas was manufactured by heating coal in the absence of oxygen. Letchworth's own First Garden City Gasworks was located on Works Road where Aztek Logistics are now. The site expanded rapidly due to the success of the town in attracting businesses and residents. Following the discovery of natural gas, town gas was phased out requiring every household's gas appliances to be converted. John gave an absorbing account of how this mammoth task was achieved.
