Frederick Winsor was the key player behind the creation of the first gas utility, the London-based Gas Light and Coke Company, incorporated by royal charter in April 1812. Although precursors can be found, it was these two engineers who elaborated the technology with commercial applications in mind. The first attempts to manufacture fuel gas in a commercial way were made in the period 1795–1805 in France by Philippe LeBon, and in England by William Murdoch. Coal gas, for example, also contains significant quantities of unwanted sulfur and ammonia compounds, as well as heavy hydrocarbons, and so the manufactured fuel gases needed to be purified before they could be used. The fuel gases generated were mixtures of many chemical substances, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and ethylene, and could be burnt for heating and lighting purposes. The coal was gasified by heating the coal in enclosed ovens with an oxygen-poor atmosphere. The manufacturing process for 'synthetic fuel gases' (also known as 'manufactured fuel gas', 'manufactured gas' or simply 'gas') typically consisted of the gasification of combustible materials, usually coal, but also wood and oil.

The history of gaseous fuel, important for lighting, heating, and cooking purposes throughout most of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, began with the development of analytical and pneumatic chemistry in the 18th century.

Drawing the retorts at the Great Gas Establishment Brick Lane, from The Monthly Magazine (1821)

How to read piping isometric drawing