336 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Notes on the
Natural History on a Gasworks
BY RICHARD WARD
Within half A MILE of Bow Bridge there is situated one of the stations
of the North Thames Gas Board, the Bromley-by-Bow Gas Works.
The works was built about 1868-75 on an area of marshland with a few
scattered factories. One old map shows a small building on the present
site of the Engineer's office—it is labelled "Rocket Factory". Little is
known of the flora and fauna of the site at that time.
The site covers an area of about 165 acres, bounded on the north by the
Fenchurch Street-Southend railway and on the west by the River Lea.
At this point the river is canalised and the tidal part continues northwards
under the railway as the Channelsea River and Bow Creek. The eastern
boundary is Manor Road, while the tidal Lea swings south to skirt the
British Electricity Authority's works and form the southern boundary.
About 1880 a large dwelling-house was constructed for the resident
engineer, and an elaborate garden was laid out. The garden contained pear
trees, apple trees, indoor and outdoor vines and many ornamental trees and
shrubs. About 1920 the engineer in charge had planted a number of Lom-
bardy and black poplar trees alongside the works paths and roadways.
Lawns were laid out and flower-beds formed by the various buildings. The
house was occupied by members of the staff until 1940, when on one
memorable night it was burnt out. The garden then ran riot for 10 years.
The spare ground had been used for various purposes during this time,
and the records show that in 1904 it was recommended of one site that
"Osiers be grown instead of Rhubarb".(1) In 1908 extensive allotments were
started.*1' These were intensively cultivated during the two world wars,
and only fell into disuse quite recently. - There is a persistent legend of
the growing of Watercress on one site which today looks wildly improbable.
Some work was done on the natural history by a chemist on the work3
staff, R. P. Donelly, in 1938,(2) but there are long gaps in the published
record.
In 1950 I came to the works from another station where I had been
accustomed to recording the changes in my notebooks. I found the rabbits
and hedgehogs still inhabiting the works, the birds flourishing, the
entomology most interesting and the flora quite exciting.
The rabbits have retreated somewhat in the last two years, but there
are still a number about. The Kestrels nest in the gasholder column tops,
the Wood-pigeons nest, the song birds and Mistle-thrushes multiply. Many
moths inhabit the scrub and the trees, there are a few Carp in the old
holder tank, many Field-mice and rats are found alongside the railway line.
Much of the wild flora occurs on the large heaps of Dutch and Danish
bog ore, imported during the summer months for use in the gas purification
process. The ore is mined a few feet below the surface from large deposits
and is a fine red earth containing about 50 per cent moisture, 30 per cent
Fe2O3, with traces of manganese and other elements, liberally tangled with
fibrous root-hair peaty matter. Green plants begin to show within two
months of landing the ore, which, given an ordinary English winter, will
produce a luxuriant crop in 12 to 18 months' time.