Exhibition: Richard Chivers: OFF-Grid

Photographer Richard Chivers has spent eight years capturing iconic gas holder structures around the UK, documenting them before the majority disappear forever. Since then he has visited 50 around the country.

The exhibition features a mix of colour and monochrome images. When visiting each site, Chivers would capture wider contextual shots in colour, and then produce tightly-composed detailed photographs in black and white.

Since the Victorian era, circular gas holders became commonplace industrial icons on our urban skylines. The design of vast telescoping tanks to store coal (town) gas was at the vanguard of civil engineering. They represented a modernising Britain, and for three decades after World War II were visible icons of our nationalised utilities, metal symbols for a vital infrastructure held in common for the public good.

In 1965, North Sea natural gas was discovered. The UK supply network was converted from coal gas, and gas holders were only required for additional storage. As network capacity grew, gas holder utilisation dwindled.

By the 1990s they were redundant; widespread dismantling of the metal giants began in 2000.

Many have distinctive and intricate designs, each slightly different.

Although defunct, those remaining continue to act as prominent landmarks, provoking a debate about their preservation and reuse. They are a reminder of our industrial heritage, a communal architectural experience that provokes awe in a way that few other structures inspire.

Limited-edition fine art prints from the series, plus a second edition of the publication OFF-Grid, will be available at the gallery.