Gas Museum

read moreRemember Grandma's old gas fire? Cooking on that solid old oven? Or even gas lights in your caravan? See these and many other historic treasures from the world of gas at Britain's National Gas Museum. When you visit the world's largest and most significant gas history collection, you'll discover the story of gas. See vintage working gas lights, learn how gas was made from coal and discover weird and wonderful gas gadgets like the gas radio and the gas hair-dryer. Smell the unique scent of coal gas.

read moreThe National Gas Museum Trust is a charity. We were set up in 1997 to take care of the historic objects collected by Britain's nationalised gas industry, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. We have around 4,000 objects drawn from several former regions of British Gas and donated by individuals. We also have a large collection of photographs, books and other material relating to gas, and visitors are welcome to explore the archive by appointment. Highlights of our collection are on display at the Museum, and like most museums we have extra material in store, available for research or on loan.

read moreThe Science Museum has described our collection as "the largest, most representative and most significant holding of material related to the gas industry, its application and effects upon society, probably anywhere in the world." The collection was started by gas engineers when the UK was converted from town gas to natural gas in the 1970s. They found many beautiful old appliances and decided to start a museum. At first this was in the corner of a warehouse. As the gas industry changed after privatisation, we became a charitable trust and absorbed the collection of the London Gas Museum and the South West Gas Historical Society.