Nostalgia is a funny one. I remember going to Wood Green Shopping Centre with my mum when I was a kid and staring up at three gargantuan Gas Holders as we drove past them. I’m sure for many people they were an eyesore. Few probably looked upon Hornsey Gas Holder No.1′s heliacal structure and considered the game-changing craftsmanship of Victorian Britain. To that end, I doubt any of the Victorians who built Gas Holders would have considered that their singularly purposeful erections could become Grade II listed buildings. Or that in the process of beautifying one of London’s grimiest areas, Gas Holder No.8 would be carefully disassembled, painstakingly re-built by the banks of Regent’s Canal and titled Gasholder Park to provide the modern populace with an awe-inspiring wire-frame coliseum. As parks go, this one is fairly unique. I certainly never thought I’d feel fondly toward a giant metal cage.

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