Former Gasworks, 44 Irish Quarter West, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38 8AT

An extensive complex of buildings and structures used for gas making and storage between 1855 and 1987. Most of the site is enclosed in rubble stone walling with some brick walling to the south boundary. The site comprises seventeen components, numbered clockwise.

1. Manager's House

A three-bay, two-storey building with two-storey rear return and outshot, aligned east-west along Irish Quarter South at the north end of the site. This building dates from around 1855 and was built to house the manager of the gasworks. In 1947 it was converted to offices and a showroom. In 2002 it became a visitor reception area, exhibition rooms and library for Flame.

The building has a pitched hipped natural slate roof with a skylight to the rear return. There are rendered brick chimneys to each gable and one to the return. Cast iron half-round rainwater gutters and downpipes serve the building. The random rubble walls are lined, painted and rendered.

The principal façade faces north onto Irish Quarter West. There are stucco quoins at both ends of this elevation. At centre is the former vehicular entrance to the site, set in an advanced stucco surround and containing a pair of folding tongue-and-leaf doors. The ground floor entrance passage has been converted to a reception room. To the left of this opening is a 6/6 timber sliding sash window with stone sill (as are all other sills unless otherwise stated). To right is a 2x1-paned timber shop window (concrete sill). At first floor level are three 6/3 sliding sash windows, all in line with the ground floor openings.

The east gable was formerly abutted by a single-storey thatched house, the ghost of which is still discernible. The south (rear) elevation has a doorway to centre containing a pair of glazed timber doors with side- and overlights. At left is a 6/6 sliding sash window. There are two 6/3 sash windows to the first floor, over the ground floor openings.

The right bay of the rear elevation is abutted by a two-storey return. It has a hipped natural slate roof; its rainwater goods and walls are detailed as the main block. There are 6/3 and 6/6 sash windows to the ground and first floors respectively of its west elevation and a small 1x2-paned window to the first floor of its south elevation.

The return's south elevation is abutted by a single-storey extension. This was formerly a kitchen but has been converted into public toilets. It has a monopitched natural slate roof, rainwater goods and walls all detailed as before. It has a tongue-and-groove door to its west elevation and a 3x2 window on its south elevation.

The west gable is abutted by a lower two-storey house. The exposed section of the gable is blank.

2. Governor House and Laboratory

A 1940s two-bay, single-storey building abutting the north and middle retort houses. It has a pitched corrugated cement-fibre roof with half-round gutters and downpipes also of cement-fibre. Non-abutting walls are of brick. There is a timber door on the west elevation of the south bay and metal-framed multi-pane windows to west and north elevations. All openings have concrete heads; the windows have concrete sills.

3. Retort Houses

This was the heart of the gasworks, where gas was manufactured from bituminous coal imported from Britain.

3.1 North Retort House

This late 1940s single-bay, single-storey building partly abuts the north elevation of the middle retort house. It has a pitched cement-fibre roof with raised ridge, also of cement-fibre (all on steel trusses). Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. Lower sections of wall are mainly of brick (some random rubble incorporated into west gable) and upper sections are clad with corrugated cement-fibre sheets on a steel framework. There is a steel door at the west end of the north elevation and continuous glazed panels along west and north elevations.

3.2 Middle Retort House

A single-bay, single-storey building with pitched natural slate roof with raised cement-fibre ridge (on steel trusses) and tiled verges. This was the original retort house and dates from 1855. Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. Lower sections of walls are of random rubble and upper portions of brick. There is a semi-elliptical brick-arched entrance on the west gable with a sliding timber door. Semicircular window openings to all elevations, all without frames. At the south end of the east gable are the truncated remains of a square brick chimney on a random rubble base. This structure served the furnaces in all the retort houses.

3.3 South Retort House

This early 1900s single-bay, single-storey building partially abuts the south elevation of the middle retort house. It has a pitched corrugated cement-fibre roof with raised ridge (on steel trusses) and tiled verges. Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. Lower sections of walls are of random rubble with a high proportion of concrete block replacement. Upper sections are of brick. There is an entrance porch on the west gable with a slated monopitched roof, rubble masonry walls and double-leaf timber doors. A semicircular window opening on the gable above and an identical window to the south elevation (neither with a frame).

4. Condensers

A pair of tall double-skinned metal condenser tubes for the removal of tar. As the hot gas passed through each column, it made contact with its cold surfaces and the suspended tar condensed out.

5. Exhauster House

A single-bay, single-storey building abutting the east gable of the south retort house. Probably erected in the 1940s. Here the coal gas was drawn from the retorts and condensers and pushed through the purification plant to the gasholder. It has a pitched fibre cement slate roof with two circular ridge cowls. Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. The walls are whitewashed brick. There are metal-framed windows and timber doors to north and south elevations. All openings have concrete heads and the windows have concrete sills.

6. Washer and Scrubber

In the yard immediately south of the exhauster house is a Livesey Washer for the removal of ammonia from the gas. It was manufactured by Robert Dempster & Sons, Elland, Yorkshire. This particular example is a second-hand installation of 1923. Beside it is a Scrubber by W.C. Holmes & Co, Huddersfield for the removal of tar fog. It is dated 1908 but has undoubtedly been imported second-hand from elsewhere.

7. Wash Room

A small single-bay, single-storey building abutting the middle and south retort houses. It was erected in the 1950s for the manual staff to take their tea breaks and get cleaned up before going home. It has a monopitched corrugated cement-fibre roof with steel half-round gutters and downpipes. The walls are brick. There is a timber door to the west end and a 3x3 metal-framed window to the south elevation (with concrete head and sill).

8. Tar Tank

An open steel tank supported on uprights on the outside of the west gable of the middle retort house. Accessed by vertical steel ladder. There is a small defunct Weir pump at base. Most of the tar was sold directly to the general public for use on tin roofs and around the base of walls (to counteract damp). Some was also sold to Tennants Tar Distillers in Belfast for refining.

9. Workshop

A detached three-bay, single-storey workshop aligned north-south along the east side of the premises. Here the fitters stored all the tools required to maintain the works and gas distribution pipes. Small items of metal were also fabricated and pipes were bent, threaded and tapped as the need arose. It has a pitched natural slate roof with steel half-round gutters and downpipes. Walls are of random rubble basalt with dressed basalt quoins and advanced brick eaves course. Much of the west elevation has been replaced with brick in the 1940s; this section was originally open and supported on cast-iron columns. On the yard-facing west elevation are double-leaf timber doors to the north and middle bays, a 4x2 metal-framed window to the middle bay, and a glass brick window to the south bay. On the east elevation is a roller shutter door to the north bay and brick-infilled doorway to the middle bay. All the openings have concrete heads, and the windows have concrete sills.

10. Air-Raid Shelter

A World War Two single-bay, single-storey building aligned east-west along the south side of the premises. It was intended for use by the gasworks' staff and the inhabitants of Irish Quarter South. A gasworks would have been an obvious target, the blast from the exploding gasholder reinforcing that of the bomb. At Carrickfergus the main danger was actually from bombs jettisoned over Belfast Lough after air raids on the city. Fortunately the gasworks was never hit. It has a flat reinforced-concrete roof projecting beyond walls on all sides. The walls are brick with external pilasters. There are doorways to east and west ends; the former is infilled with brick and the latter contains a timber door. Otherwise there are no openings.

11. Iron-Oxide Shed and Tanks

A single-bay, single-storey building aligned east-west towards the south end of the site. Dates from the 1940s. Here hydrogen sulphide ("rotten eggs") was removed by passing the gas through purifier boxes which contained iron-rich ore which absorbed it. After about six months, the ore became saturated with sulphide and could not absorb any more. The boxes were opened and the ore replaced. The spent ore was spread on the floor of this shed where it was left for about four weeks. The oxygen in the air gradually absorbed the ore's sulphide content, thus revivifying it and enabling it to be reused. Yellow-coloured sulphur was also formed during this regenerative process. Residual hydrogen sulphide was also released, giving rise to the distinctive smell associated with all coal gasworks.

This building has a pitched corrugated cement-fibre roof (on steel trusses). Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. There is a concrete block wall along the south side, but otherwise it is open to all sides. Along the outside of the west elevation are four iron-oxide tanks of cast-iron construction which bear the following details: "Milbourne's Patent; Sole makers C & W Walker Ltd, Donnington, Newport, Shropshire". These were imported second-hand from a gasworks in England in 1943. There is an overhead steel beam for a block and tackle to lift the lids of the tanks for cleaning-out purposes. In a brick-lined trench protected by a two-bar steel railing along their outside face is an in- and out- gas pipe to/from each tank.

12. Station Meter House

A small single-bay, single-storey building containing the station meter which measured the amount of gas produced in the gasworks. It has a monopitched corrugated cement-fibre roof with steel half-round gutters and downpipes. The walls are whitewashed brick. There is a timber door on the north elevation; otherwise no openings. A low single-bay outshot on the west elevation, similarly detailed and with a small timber hatch on the west elevation.

13. Gasholder 1

A freestanding above-ground double-lift spiral-guided gasholder. It held 5,660 cubic metres of gas (200,000 cubic feet) - about two days' supply for the town - and was erected in 1949 to meet the demand from the Sunnylands Estate. It replaced two earlier holders, traces of which can still be seen in the yard. The holder was used to store coal gas until May 1967, when it was filled with gas manufactured at Belfast Corporation's Sydenham Works. The tank is still full of water and of riveted painted sheet steel construction. The top of the tank is accessed by a steel staircase on the south side of the tank. There is a walkway around the top of the tank with a two-bar handrail around. The telescopic outer and domed inner lifts are now grounded, but their spiral guide rails and rollers are clearly discernible.

14. Gasholder 2

Only the circular dressed edging stones to the below-ground tank of this 1850s single-lift gas holder are now discernible, the superstructure having been removed and the tank infilled. The latter was about the same size as that in gasholder 3 and it held 565 cubic metres (20,000 cubic feet) of gas. It was superseded in 1949 by gasholder 1.

15. Gasholder 3

This column-guided holder dates from 1909. Its two lifts held 1,130 cubic metres (40,000 cubic feet) of gas. Only its below-ground tank survives, the superstructure having been removed when it was superseded by gasholder 1. The circular tank is lined and paved with bricks. There is a conical brick 'dumpling' to centre, on which the crown of the inner lift formerly rested when the gasholder was empty. A steel and timber footbridge was inserted when the site was converted to a museum to give access to the top of the dumpling. A submersible pump at the bottom of the tank now keeps it free of water. It is accessed by a vertical steel ladder down the side of the tank. A wire mesh safety fence was also erected around the void.

16. Dry Coal Shed

Just prior to conservation, this building was burnt down. The original stone walls were salvaged but the brick upper sections and roof were rebuilt. A single-bay, single-storey shed aligned east-west opposite the middle retort house. It has a felted Belfast truss roof (which continues over the passage between the shed and middle retort house). Cement-fibre half-round gutters and downpipes serve the building. Lower sections of walls are of random rubble basalt and upper sections of brick. There are double-leaf timber doors on the east gable. No window openings.

17. Pipe Store

This building is in separate ownership and no longer part of the gasworks. It is a small single-bay, single-storey store aligned north-south and abutting the random rubble wall along the west side of the site, just below the manager's house. The roof is formed by a riveted steel water tank which is supported on brick walls. The tank itself is greatly deteriorated and no longer capable of holding water (which served as a back-up reservoir for the boiler in the middle retort house). The north, east and south walls are now clad with timber. A small doorway at the north end is now blocked by timber cladding.