The gasworks opened in 1855 and supplied the town with gas made from coal until 1967. It was subsequently used to distribute gas piped from Belfast until its closure in 1987.
The gasworks was restored by the Carrickfergus Gasworks Preservation Society and opened to the public as a visitor attraction in 2002.
Flame Gasworks is one of only three preserved gasworks in Britain and Ireland. It boasts Western Europe’s largest set of retorts (in which the gas was made), and an extensive collection of gas appliances and documents.
