town gas. In 1968 another large gas reforming plant was built at Beckton producing 100 million cubic feet of gas per day (2.8 million m3/day). The plant initially operated with liquefied petroleum gases as a feedstock until North Sea gas became available in 1969. The coal carbonisation plant at Beckton became uncompetitive with North Sea gas and was closed in 1969, which was also when the last trainload left the associated chemical works. Beckton still produced town gas using its reforming plants – with a total gas reforming capacity of 143 million cubic feet gas per day (4.05 million m3/day). The reforming plants operated until 1976; Beckton was the location of the last town gas to natural gas domestic conversions in the North Thames Gas Board supply area on 29 August 1976. At its peak Beckton had employed 4,500 people, but by the late 1970s only 100 employees remained. After closure the residual site passed to British Gas and Transco. The works lay within the London Docklands area and parts were redeveloped by the London Docklands Development Corporation. Location The works covered a site to the south of the Northern Outfall Sewer, between Woolwich Manor Way and the Thames. The company had considered several sites for the works. The site to the west of Barking Creek was selected as it was possible to build deep water piers in the Thames, enabling direct unloading from steam colliers bringing coal from mines in the North-East of England. There were two piers, for importing coal and exporting by-products. In the 1930s an annual average of a million tons of coal mainly from Durham was unloaded at the main pier, with a further 750,000 tons transhipped to barges for other works. The GLCC had a fleet of seventeen coastal colliers ranging from 1,200 to 2,841 gross register tons, and also chartered larger ships as needed. At this time the plant had a coal storage capacity of 250,000 tons. The plant had an extensive internal railway system of between and featured some unusual elevated sidings that also ran out on a number of piers into the Thames. The Beckton Railway provided a link to the national network at Custom House, used for passenger traffic to the works and for transport of by-products such as coal tar. This was leased and operated by the Great Eastern Railway from 1874. There were no intermediate stations between Custom