Gas Museum

The National Gas Museum sits in Leicester’s old gasworks gatehouse, a Grade II listed brick building from 1878 with a small clock tower. The site once supplied town gas to homes and factories across the city. Inside, the museum preserves the largest collection of gas-related artefacts anywhere. Two floors hold more than four thousand items, many rescued when British Gas engineers replaced town gas appliances in the 1970s. The building itself became a museum in 1977, originally called the John Doran Museum.

The displays trace how gas lighting and heating changed British life from the 19th century onward. Visitors see a full 1920s kitchen powered by gas, complete with irons, radios and washing machines. Rows of burners, meters and pipes show how technology evolved over decades. The collection includes domestic gadgets and industrial equipment, all gathered by British Gas engineers. In 1998 the London and South West collections moved here, making Leicester the national centre for gas history.

A visit reveals glass-fronted cases of burners and mantles, a restored 1920s kitchen corner, and rows of gas irons and heaters. The upper floor holds larger industrial pieces and early meters. Outside, the gatehouse stands among quiet gasworks buildings that once hummed with activity. The museum is run by a charity with help from Centrica and National Grid.