Gas board

Area gas boards
Company type	Nationalised companies(controlled byHM Governmentand reporting to theMinistry of Power)
Industry	Utilities(energy: gas)
Predecessor	1812 (as theGas Light and Coke Companyand various others)
Founded	1 May 1949(by the Gas Act 1948)
Defunct	31 December 1972
Fate	Reorganisation under the Gas Act 1972
Successor	British Gas Corporation(by the Gas Act 1972)
Area served	Great Britain
Key people	Board members
Products	Coal gas,natural gas
Services	Gas and coke supply

Thearea gas boardswere created under the provisions of theGas Act 1948enacted byClement Attlee'spost-war Labour government.The Act nationalised the British gas industry and also created theGas Council.

History

From the early 19th century the gas supply industry in the United Kingdom was mainly operated by local authorities and private companies.^[2]A flammable gas (known as "town gas" or "coal gas") was piped to commercial, domestic and industrial customers for use as a fuel and for lighting. It was marketed to consumers by such means as theNational Gas Congress and Exhibitionin 1913. The gas used in the 19th and early 20th centuries wascoal gasbut in the period 1967–77 coal gas supplies were replaced bynatural gas,first discovered in the UK North Sea in 1965.

Nationalisation

In 1948Clement Attlee'sLabourgovernment reshaped the gas industry, enacting the Gas Act 1948. The actnationalisedthe UK gas industry and 1,064 privately owned and municipal gas companies were merged into twelve area gas boards each a separate body with its own management structure.^[3]Under the Gas Act 1948 the area boards were charged with three duties:^[4]

To develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical system of gas supply for their areas and to satisfy, so far as it is economic to do so, all reasonable demands for gas within their area.
To develop and maintain the efficient, co-ordinated and economical production of coke, other than metallurgical coke.
To develop and maintain efficient methods of recovering by-products obtained in the process of manufacturing gas.

Management board

The management board for each area board typically comprised:^[4]

Chairman
Deputy chairman
Chief engineer
Controller of research
Controller of services
Commercial manager
Public relations officer
Secretary
Chief accountant
Staff controller

The chairman of each area board was a member of theGas Council.Each area board was divided into geographical groups or divisions which were often further divided into smaller districts. These boards simply became known as the "gas board", a term people still use when referring toBritish Gas,the company that replaced the boards when theGas Act 1972was passed. The area boards became regions of the British Gas Corporation.^[2]

Area gas boards

No.	Name of area board	Coverage of area
1	Scottish Gas Board	Scotland
2	Northern Gas Board	Durham,Northumberlandand parts ofCumberland,Westmorlandand theNorth Riding of Yorkshire
3	North Western Gas Board	Lancashireand parts ofCheshire,Cumberland,Derbyshire,Shropshire,Westmorlandand theWest Riding of Yorkshire
4	North-Eastern Gas Board	TheEast Riding of Yorkshireand parts of theNorthandWest Ridingsof Yorkshire (includingYork)
5	Wales Gas Board	Wales
6	West Midlands Gas Board	Parts ofCheshire,Herefordshire,Leicestershire,Shropshire,Staffordshire,Warwickshire(includingBirmingham) andWorcestershire
7	East Midlands Gas Board	Lincolnshire,Nottinghamshire,Rutlandand parts ofBedfordshire,Buckinghamshire,Derbyshire,Leicestershire,Northamptonshire,Staffordshireand theWest Riding of Yorkshire
8	South Western Gas Board	Cornwall(including theIsles of Scilly),Gloucestershireand parts ofBerkshire,Devon,Herefordshire,Oxfordshire,Somerset,Warwickshire,WiltshireandWorcestershire
9	North Thames Gas Board	Parts of the administrativeCounty of Londonand ofBerkshire,Buckinghamshire,Essex,Hertfordshire,MiddlesexandSurrey
10	Eastern Gas Board	Cambridgeshire,Huntingdonshire,theIsle of Ely,Norfolk,theSoke of Peterborough,Suffolkand parts ofBedfordshire,Buckinghamshire,Essex,HertfordshireandMiddlesex
11	Southern Gas Board	Dorset,Hampshire,theIsle of Wightand parts ofBedfordshire,Berkshire,Buckinghamshire,Devon,Hertfordshire,Northamptonshire,Oxfordshire,Somerset,Surrey,SussexandWiltshire
12	South Eastern Gas Board	Kent,and parts of the administrativeCounty of Londonand ofMiddlesex,SurreyandSussex

Arms

Coat of arms of Gas board
Notes Granted 20 January 1959^[5] Crest On a wreath Or and Sable a demi lion passant guardant Or armed and langued Sable conjoined to a demi hulk of an ancient ship Gold. Escutcheon Or a bar wavy Azure on a chief embattled Sable three lions' faces of the field langued of the third. Supporters On either side an Anglo-Saxon habited Proper. Motto In Rupe Aedificabimus

References

^"Area gas board members".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).10 February 1949.RetrievedJuly 17,2012.
^^a ^bWilliams, Trevor I. (1981).A History of the British Gas Industry.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0198581572.
^"Nationalisation".Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2012.RetrievedJuly 17,2012.
^^a ^bFalkus, Malcolm (1988).Always under Pressure - A History of North Thames Gas since 1949.London: Macmillan. pp. 18, 23.ISBN 0333468198.
^"Southern Gas Board".Heraldry of the United Kingdom.Retrieved2 February2021.

[1] "Area gas board members".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).10 February 1949.RetrievedJuly 17,2012.

[:0-2] Williams, Trevor I. (1981).A History of the British Gas Industry.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0198581572.

[3] "Nationalisation".Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2012.RetrievedJuly 17,2012.

[:1-4] Falkus, Malcolm (1988).Always under Pressure - A History of North Thames Gas since 1949.London: Macmillan. pp. 18, 23.ISBN 0333468198.

[5] "Southern Gas Board".Heraldry of the United Kingdom.Retrieved2 February2021.

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