Beckton Coke Works

The awe-inspiring industrial splendour of Beckton gasworks is on show in this beautifully photographed film

Rolled, bounced, poured and shovelled – coal is transformed into coke by means of an awe-inspiring array of industrial processes. This early film was produced by the Gas Light and Coke Company which built the gasworks and eventually became British Gas plc. Beckton gasworks opened in 1870 and operated until 1969 on the north bank of the River Thames.

This footage has survived in a version which is out of sequence. The Gas Light and Coke Company funded a number of films including The Romance of a Lump of Coal (1935), which is also available on the BFI Player.