Brentford in the Distance

[mark99]

This must be pre 1930 or the gasholder layout/type at Brentford would have been a different layout (I used to work there).

[Drayke]

Where abouts in Brentford is that as I don't recognise it and I born and bred there 1948-1973. I also went to the gas works on a Saturday morning  with me homemade hand cart to buy sacks of coke [not the kind you put in a roll-up] for the week.

[magnetman]

If one is going up Brentford is behind. 

 

Is the barge right for the GU? I wonder if that is a northern waterways barge its got a bit of a 60x14ft look about it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Also Brentford gas works was by the Thames. 

[Derek R.]

The boat shouts Norfolk, the chap on the bank Scottish. No idea.

[mark99]

The image was captioned Brentford. It may be an mistake/too short a caption - it could be looking towards Southall as in the old days, Southall gasworks was owned by the Brentford Gas Co.

 

Again must be pre 1930 as the waterless gas holder sat Southall is not there. That was built in the 30's as below.

 

Will check the old gas holder shapes at Southall.

 

 

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

If that’s Hanwell locks then I think the photo is probably printed in reverse.

 

The lock doesn’t quite look right though, although that’s not to say they haven’t been modified since.

[mark99]

Southall gasworks pre 1930 (Brentford Gas Co).

 

 

This was the full caption on the boat image.

 

"A man standing by the damaged bank of the Grand Union Canal, with a boat in the broken ice of the canal in the foreground, and Kew Bridge Pumping Station in the distance"

 

As said it does not look like Brentford as the pumping station has a diferent type of chimney.  Could be Southall/Hanwell - not sure. Is that a side pond he is standing nearby? (as in the Hanwell Flight).

 

One cannot trust image captions - ref the previous image stating "lock on GU" - which it was not 

Sideponds (were even ponds on the two locks above this).

 

 

Edited November 21, 2023 by mark99

[magnetman]

The towing path being on the left is problematic but the large buildings in the distance add up for it to be above the second lock from bottom of Hanwell. 

 

The boat is.moored on the non towpath side. If the image was in reverse then the gas works is on the wrong side. 

 

If course it is possible there was a path both sides but then there must have been a bridge below the bottom lock. 

 

I think it might not be GU. 

 

 

[David Mack]

This is the original image reversed, which would put the towpath on the correct side for Hanwell, and the boundary wall for Hanwell Asylum alongside.

But the gasholder is too close and in the wrong direction for Southall. There is a slight right hand bend below the lock, which doesn't fit with any of the Hanwell locks, so my guess is this is somewhere else.

 

[GUMPY]

22 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

Somehow that image looks "right" that way round 

[magnetman]

Interesting that the boat has setting poles. The Y shaped iron 'shoe' is visible at the end on the boat.

 

I've had several of these big ones out from the Thames. Its obviously not a Thames lock and these were also used on other boats like wherries.

 

I agree it looks the right way around now.

 

The wall might be a boundary for an estate.

 

It looks much wider than anywhere around Hanwell.

[mark99]

Could it be here?  Nr Hanwell looking to Southall?

 

Look at the walls of the lock, the bend. And the new gasholder in the distance (which has also been demolished).

[magnetman]

Norwood bottom lock. It did occur to me but what is that culvert all about ?
 

I think you are probably right. The pound there has been shuttered with Larssen piles at some point which does point to a bad condition. I just wonder what the culvert with the wooden boards over it is.

 

In that image one would be rather close to the three bridges.

 

 

 

Also the towpath is on the wrong side. So was the road bridge of three bridges a turnover bridge at one time?
 

NLS side by side shows the towing path on the right hand side there.

 

 

[mark99]

The big wall is probably Osterley Park not the hospital.

[magnetman]

Yes it has the look of a private estate to me.

It seems to me that in terms of a functioning canal that culvert is relevant. I don't think it is a side pond because they were filled and emptied by paddles beside the locks. It looks like an overspill of some sort. Very hazardous one in modern elfin safety terms. 

 

I bet it is still there with a fence around it.

 

 

[Pluto]

The boat looks like a clinker-built maintenance boat, which I suspect makes it unlikely to be on the GUC. The shape is similar to some of the scows on the F&CC, and the clothing of the man looking at the boat does have something of a Scottish feel. Pity the details of the lock in the distance are not sharper.

[mark99]

London gasworks used to get coal from up north - typically round the east coast and up the Thames. Onwards to gasworks - often transhipped. Southall was a huge gasworks - 2nd probably to Beckton.

Edited November 21, 2023 by mark99

[magnetman]

It does look a lot like a Hanwell lock. It's just difficult to believe there was open country there with no trees and some fenced orf fields and styles. And a geyser with a scottish hat.

 

But its not impossible.

 

 

 

I wonder if this is an early example of continuous mooring and the man with the beret is working out how to attach a notice to the craft.

 

 

Going back to the @Pluto suggestion I found this image of Falkirk gas works on the internet somewhere

 

 

Could it be here?

Maybe the next lock down?
 

Edited November 21, 2023 by magnetman

[BWM]

3 hours ago, David Mack said:

This is the original image reversed, which would put the towpath on the correct side for Hanwell, and the boundary wall for Hanwell Asylum alongside.

But the gasholder is too close and in the wrong direction for Southall. There is a slight right hand bend below the lock, which doesn't fit with any of the Hanwell locks, so my guess is this is somewhere else.

 

If this was on the Hanwell flight, there wouldn't be any substantial buildings in the backdrop. It was all very rural in the vicinity of the windmill. 

[mark99]

14 minutes ago, magnetman said:

It does look a lot like a Hanwell lock. It's just difficult to believe there was open country there with no trees and some fenced orf fields and styles. And a geyser with a scottish hat.

 

But its not impossible.

 

 

 

I wonder if this is an early example of continuous mooring and the man with the beret is working out how to attach a notice to the craft.

 

 

Going back to the @Pluto suggestion I found this image of Falkirk gas works on the internet somewhere

 

 

Could it be here?

Maybe the next lock down?
 

 

 

The gas holder finials are not the same. Not enough chimbleys neither. The gasworks had a chemical plant next door which had quite a lot of chimneys.

 

I think it was catalogued incorrectly by Hounslow. Errors:

 

1) They saw the big wall (as in hospital)

 

2) and incorrectly stated the chimney was "Kew Pumping Station" - (wrong shape)

 

However the lock is uphill, Brentford is downhill so turn around and the next gasholder(s) are Southall which was owned by the Brentford Gas Co.

 

The wall may have been to the vast Osterley Park Mansion and its grounds.

Edited November 21, 2023 by mark99

[magnetman]

https://collections.falkirk.gov.uk/objects/146180/sites-and-monument-record-falkirk-gas-works-smr-1927#&gid=1&pid=1

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/R4dQt5RnZZ1kWBS7A

 

 

Signs of a previous towing path on the other side.

 

Obviously a lot of bank works which could include straightening 

 

This is apparently the next lock down 

 

 

 

Large buildings 

Gas works still the wrong side ! 

[BWM]

32 minutes ago, magnetman said:

It does look a lot like a Hanwell lock. It's just difficult to believe there was open country there with no trees and some fenced orf fields and styles. And a geyser with a scottish hat.

 

But its not impossible.

 

 

 

I wonder if this is an early example of continuous mooring and the man with the beret is working out how to attach a notice to the craft.

 

 

Going back to the @Pluto suggestion I found this image of Falkirk gas works on the internet somewhere

 

 

Could it be here?

Maybe the next lock down?
 

It was all very rural behind the asylum, as it was used as farmland by the institution and backed onto Osterley Park/Syon Park.

[magnetman]

So maybe the picture is the wrong way around and it is part of the way up Hanwell flight?

This was my original assumption given the look of the lock but its changed a bit !

 

 

 

 

[BWM]

15 minutes ago, magnetman said:

So maybe the picture is the wrong way around and it is part of the way up Hanwell flight?

This was my original assumption given the look of the lock but its changed a bit !

 

 

 

 

Too many substantial buildings in the background for Hanwell. Other than the asylum, most structures are later than the date of the picture.

[mark99]

 

Full attribution from Historic England. (Notwithstanding it's almost certainly incorrect).

 

"This print from the Historic England Archive takes us back in time to a frosty winter scene along the Grand Union Canal in Hounslow, Greater London. The image captures a moment frozen in time, both literally and figuratively. In the foreground, we see a boat navigating through broken ice sheets, testament to the harshness of winter's grip on this waterway. A man stands by the damaged canal bank, his presence adding scale and perspective to this wintry tableau. In the distance, Kew Bridge Pumping Station looms majestically against an icy backdrop. Its imposing structure serves as a reminder of human ingenuity and engineering prowess even amidst nature's formidable forces. The unknown photographer skillfully frames this composition, capturing not only the beauty but also the vulnerability of life during these colder months. This photograph transports us to an era long gone yet still resonates with its timeless charm. It invites contemplation about our relationship with nature and how it shapes our surroundings. As we gaze upon this snapshot frozen in history, we are reminded of our own transience within these ever-changing landscapes. The Historic England Archive continues to preserve such remarkable visual records that offer glimpses into our past while inspiring curiosity for future generations"