Imperial Continental Gas Association
 | |
| Industry | Gas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1824 |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Broke up into Calor Gas and Contibel |
| Successor | Calor Group Tractebel |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Parent | Charterland and General Exploration and Finance  |
Imperial Continental Gas Association plc was a leading British gas utility operating in various cities in Continental Europe . It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The Company was formed by Sir Moses Montefiore[1] and some of his colleagues based in London in 1824 as the Imperial Continental Gas Association to establish gas utilities in other counties.[2] It commenced operations distributing gas in Hannover in 1825 and providing gas lighting in Berlin in 1826 under the supervision of the Prussian Count Eduard of Dyhrn-Waldenburg-Schoenau.[3] During the course of the 19th century it established gas works in Antwerp, Brussels, Berlin and Vienna.[4] Its operations in Vienna began in the mid-1840s; the head office from 1883 to 1902 was at the Palais Epstein.[5]
The noted philanthropist Goodwin Newton of Barrells Hall, and Glencripesdale Estate was Director and Chairman for a long period in the late nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century Sir Henry Birchenough the future president of the British South Africa Company also served as a director of the company.[6]
It established the Westergasfabriek gas works in Amsterdam in 1883.[7]
In 1928 it established Distrigas, the main gas distributor in Belgium, which is now owned by Eni.[8] During World War I its operations in Berlin were nationalised by the German Government.[9]
In 1969 the Company acquired all the shares in Calor Group that it did not already own.[10]
In 1986 it rejected a bid from Gulf Resources & Chemical Corporation, a company controlled by the Barclay brothers.[11] Instead in 1987 it broke itself up into Calor Group (now owned by SHV) and Contibel (now owned by Tractebel).[12]
References
- ^ Moses Montefiore Halcyon, 29 June 2002
- ^ Imperial Continental Gas Association records 1824 - 1976 National Archives
- ^ Album presented to Robert W. Wilson by the Imperial Continental Gas Association 1922
- ^ Where the action is: The Introduction and Acceptance of Infrastructure Innovations in Dutch Cities 1850-1950 Pim Kooij, 21 August 2006
- ^ Palais Epstein
- ^ Volume 1 Tariff Commission Report, Steel industry and trade – England; Textile industry and fabrics, London, 1904
- ^ Westergasfabriek Archived 2009-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Publigas, Eni reach agreement on Distrigas sale Forbes, 26 June 2008
- ^ Hansard House of Lords, 6 May 1918
- ^ Competition Commission Report 1981 Archived 2007-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Imperial Gas New York Times, 23 October 1986
- ^ Gulf Resources & Chemical Corporation