Yes and no - most of the later London gas works got their coal from the
river and canal not via rail lines. Some of the early works got theirs
by road - and they were built pre-railway. The really big works -
Beckton, East Greenwich were entirely served by river. Although, for
instance, East Greenwich had rail access it was not mainly used for coal
supply. Rail access was often put in later - for instance those holders
at St.Pancras which everyone sees are where they are because the rail
line was put in, a long time after the gas works was built. I could go
on about this for hours.
The point about my comment on gas works was because I was ususual. I
would expect coal from the Tyne to come down by collier and go to gas
works in London by canal - or later the North London Line. I wouldn't
expect it to come in by rail! The other point the original writer made
was about the coal being called 'Tyne' - although it might have come
from Chesterfield - there has been a previous correspondence about all
coal being called 'Wallsend' wherever it came from as a trade name.
The coal trade by collier between London and the Tyne/Wear was massive
and is very underrsearched. I am interested in anyone who knows much
about it. I have some information on gas company colliers in London - we
call them 'Thames colliers' but I notice a recent book about the same
ships calls them 'Tyne colliers'* - oh well!
Mary
*steamers at the staithes from Newcastle Libraries Dept. recommended.
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