Garstang Gasworks
The Garstang gasworks was located by the canal on Moss Lane so that coal and lime could be brought in by barge.
The gas holder, or gasometer, was a large container in which coal gas or town gas (later natural gas) was stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures.
The retorts (the Retort House is the first building on the right) were buildings in which the coal was heated to generate the gas. The crude gas was siphoned off and passed onto the condenser. The waste product left in the retort was coke, and in many cases the coke was burned to heat the retorts, or sold as smokeless fuel.
A sealed tank called a Scrubber contained water through which the gas was bubbled. This removed ammonia and ammonium compounds. The water often contained dissolved lime to aid the removal of the ammonia.
