Gas Generator House To North Of Cranford

The gas generator house, likely built around 1903, is located to the north of Cranford. It is constructed of brick with stone dressings and features a timber-framed, tile-hung tower topped with a lead cap and a red tile roof. The building has a small L-shaped plan, with the northern section housing the generator. This part has a half-hipped gable end that includes a vertical-panelled door set under a four-centred arch and a block eaves cornice. There is another vertical-panelled door on the left side and a two-light mullioned window on the right.

An octagonal tower, resembling a lighthouse, rises from the ridge of the building. The tower has slightly bowed sides and small casement windows beneath its pyramidal cap. Inside, the tower still contains the tank that supplied water to the calcium carbide in the generator below, which has since been removed. This setup was used to produce acetylene for gas lighting, although the potentially hazardous equipment does not seem to have been in use for long. The tower is an unusual survivor from this period.