Through the words and memories of former workers and locals, Goodbye Old Flame traces the history of the Belfast Gasworks.

Built on ground owned by the Marquis of Donegall and opened in 1822, the works would generate heat and light for the city for more than a century and a half. So profitable were the works, Belfast Corporation (Belfast City Council) were able to use funds from the gas industry to pay for the construction of Belfast City Hall. The gasworks would continue to be a vital source of domestic and industrial energy well into the Twentieth Century – by the end of World War II some 120,000 people were reliant on on the facility for their heat and light. 

However, by the 1960s, with the advent of new technologies and energy sources, public dependence on the works began to dwindle. Today, the old funnel and clocktower mark the place that was once the heart of Belfast’s gas-making industry.
 

Courtesy of ITV

An Ulster Television Production

Produced by John Marley and John Scobbie

Executive Producer: Andrew Crockart

Editor: Phillip White

Music: John Anderson

Cameras: Ramsey Nelson, David Scott, Blane Scott, Sam Christie

Sound: Paul Irwin, P.J. McGirr, Rai Woods

Stills Photography: Ken McNally

Research: Dr. Fred Hammond

Production Assistant: Elaine Lennon

Thanks: Joe Menary, Trevor Vance, Tommy Croft, Sammy Moore, Andrew Boyd, William Steele, John Brown, John Ferguson, Hugh Ennis, Gertie Corsten, Lawther Day Centre, Josie Cassells, Christina Murray, Anne Farrell, Nellie Devlin, Belfast City Council, Ulster Museum.

• Timeline of Gasworks - Culture Northern Ireland