An early gas street light.

Street lighting first appeared in Wolverhampton in the 1770s in the form of oil lamps. By 1800 a lamp was positioned at every corner and over the doorway of every Inn. The streets were dimly lit and remained so for over twenty years until the oil lamps were replaced by the far superior gas lights.

The Town Improvement Acts compelled towns to clean, light, pave, and make the streets safe. After the invention of gas lighting, the Improvement Acts referred specifically to streets being lit by gas. Such an Act was passed for Wolverhampton in 1820.

In November 1819, 57 subscribers purchased shares in a new venture called ‘The Wolverhampton Gas Light Company’. The company was incorporated after an Act of Parliament, passed on 27th June 1820. It stated that the 57 subscribers would fund the venture, and that the town of Wolverhampton was "a large and populous place, and it would be of great advantage to the inhabitants thereof, and to the public at large, if the streets and other public passages and places were better lighted".

It also mentioned that "Inflammable air or gas, being conveyed by means of pipes, may be safely and beneficially used for lighting the several streets etc. and for lighting shops, private houses and buildings, and the coke may be beneficially employed as fuel in private house and manufactures".

The 57 subscribers included:

The company’s engineer was John Grafton who had taken out patents for gas purification in 1818, 1819 and 1820. The pipes were laid during the summer and autumn of 1820 by the firm of Ready and Dixon, and the work was completed by January 1821.

Two gasometers were ordered for the company’s gasworks, which were built in Horseley Fields. Production began on 17th September 1821.

In 1821 the company celebrated its achievement by building a 40 forty foot high, cast-iron column in High Green, with a gas lantern at the top. Unfortunately it was a disaster, being too high from the ground to throw sufficient light. The structure was demolished in 1840.

The balloon was piloted by Mr. Green, a well known balloonists who had made several ascents in the Midlands, but had never flown from Wolverhampton. Such a flight was an expensive affair and so he decided to arrange a flight from Wolverhampton on the understanding that any spectators would have to pay to watch the event to reduce the cost.

Although cloudy, it was a fine day and large numbers of people gathered in the town, which had never been so full. People watched from every corner including the top of St. Peter’s Church tower. The spectators in Union Mill yard saw the whole event including the inflation of the magnificent Coronation balloon. Guns were fired to mark various stages of the process.

Mr. Green was joined in the balloon by Edward Clarke, a Wolverhampton iron founder. The National Anthem was played, and the balloon ascended for about a mile before safely landing on Dunston Heath, near Penkridge. The flight covered a distance of twelve miles and was a great success for all concerned.

On 8th January, 1823 the town’s theatre at the back of the Swan Inn, off High Green was converted to gas lighting and the gas company was paid £350 annually for the gas supplied to the street lamps, which were provided by the local authority.

The lighting times remained in use until 1834, after which the lamps were left on during the winter months until 7 a.m. for the arrival of the early mail and other coaches. By 1849 most of the streets in the town centre were lit by gas, using a total 411 lamps. Some of the more distant roads such as Penn Road and Tettenhall Road were also lit.

The Corporation decided to purchase the gas company in the mid 1860s.

Negotiations took place, but the asking price was far too high for the Corporation and so the scheme was abandoned.

The site of the gas works today.

After this the balance of the profits should go towards reducing the charges to the customers. As the Corporation was the largest customer it was thought that it should be charged less. The Corporation approached the company on this matter and the directors challenged the Corporation to prove its claims. The Act of Parliament under which the gas company operated, stated that any case of dispute between the company and its customers should be referred to the Court of Quarter Sessions at Stafford. Their decision on the matter would be final.

The case came up for hearing, and the verdict was that although there were irregularities in the keeping of the accounts, the Corporation had failed in its contention. The gas company was ordered to deduct income tax from any future dividend paid to its shareholders, and to keep the accounts in better form. At the next meeting of the Town Council the committee reported that the cost of the appeal to the Quarter Sessions was £215 and the result would be a gain for the Corporation. The directors of the gas company were very disappointed at the result.

The gas works at Horseley Fields continued to operate until 1900. The site was soon taken-over by T. & C. Clark to extend the Shakespeare Foundry.