Gasholder

A pair of gasholders located on the former gasworks site at Grange Road, south of Dunfermline. No. 2 Gasholder (the northern of the pair) was built in 1893 by Clayton Son and Co Ltd (guide frame, holder and tank) for the Dunfermline Gas Light Company and is of Type 32 frame. The two-tier circular frame is 15.1 metres in height and has twelve wrought iron lattice standards on plain classical moulded plinths, braced by two tiers of wrought iron lattice girders with flower-bosses at the diagonals. It has two tiers of diagonal tie-rod bracings. Two telescopic wrought iron riveted shells are set in a sunken brickwork and puddled clay lined tank (31.1 metres in diameter and 7.3 metres in depth).

No. 3 Gasholder (the southern of the pair) was built in 1922 by R and J Dempster Ltd (holder and tank) for the Dunfermline Corporation Gas Department. The four-lift spiral guided circular holder is around 41.1 metres in height when fully extended and 8.2 metres in height when retracted into the above ground tank. Four telescopic steel riveted sheeted shells are set in an above ground steel riveted sheeted circular tank (40.3 metres in diameter and 8.5 metres in depth).

There have been some repairs to the interior of No. 2 Gasholder and several alterations and repairs to the interior of No. 3 Gasholder. Alterations to No. 3 Gasholder are known to have taken place in 1970, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and include repairs to the inner lifts, related mechanisms and guides and the tank. There has also been the addition of passing platforms around the lift access staircase and a solid bar handrail at the crown curb in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

The offices building and adjacent ancillary building, both located north of the gasholders, date to the middle of the 20th century. Each building is of brick construction with flat roof and rendered exterior wall finish. The offices building, immediately north of the gasholders, is arranged over two floors containing multiple office rooms with a money safe on the ground floor and paperwork safe on first floor. The ancillary building, located north of the offices building, is also arranged over two floors with live gas equipment on the ground floor, acting as a booster house, and a suite of offices on the first floor. These buildings are of later date than the remaining gasholders and relate to a later period of development of the gasworks site.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the shells and the tank of No. 2 Gasholder, the inner shells of No. 3 Gasholder and all other structures and buildings on the gasworks site.