Hi Paul,

What a fantastic job!  Had a dabble with SketchUp myself a while ago, but I decided learning one 3D programme (Cubify Design), was enough to be going on with and more intuitive for the engineer I once was.

BTW, I'm pretty sure that 'when I was a lad' and lived there (e.1960's), the gasworks 'colour scheme' (house and outbuildings at any rate) was white with green doors, door frames, window heads, etc.  You know the sort of green I mean, that ubiquitous 'Sanitary Green' such places were often painted, more LNER 'Darlington Green' than 'Doncaster' (if that helps in any way at all?).

There are some Hornby Scaledale gasworks models of course, but none of the components match those used at Shipston.

Steve N

Thanks, Steve!

Good news about the color scheme.  I think the base of the buildings was painted black (standard paint technique around here to hide mud splashed up from the road); this is based on the good quality movie.  The present day trim is painted a bright blue, so your memory is very useful, and the "sanitary green" is more likely, as you say, for the period.

I do plan a visit to take photos of the back of the house and also try to make contact with the current owners.

Do you remember if there were any chimneys above the retort house roof?  All I can see in the available material is the louvered ridge ventilator.

No, the only thing I remember, and shown in the only photos I was able to find (from the Warwickshire County Archive), is the raised ridge ventilator you mention.  However, in two of the photos I have (which for some reason, I cannot find by searching their database at the moment), there is a large, square, brick chimney stack at the north, rear corner of the retort house.
 

This chimney rises parallel to almost the height of the retort house ridge, then tapers until reaching the usual stepped-brick embellishment at the top.  Only one of these photos gives a clear view but, unfortunately there is another building (on the north end of the retort house) in the way. As a result, it is difficult to say whether the chimney is built up against the outside of the north end of the retort house (in the angle between it and the boundary wall), or whether it is actually built into the corner of the retort house itself, at that point.

BTW, the covering letter (1981) to me, from Warwickshire Record Office, stated that the photocopies of the photos they sent me at that time, were taken in 1966.  The shot from the roadside I have, can also be seen here (you can just see the top of the chimney, in the top left beyond the ridge vent);
 

http://www.search.windowsonwarwickshire.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?resource=9111

Incidently, that image itself, has a reference given of 'PH, 120/14' (which is not on the photocopy I have), but the photocopy I have of that better view looking back towards the retort house, is marked with the reference 'PH120/15', which presumably is same 'collection' that these images all came from.
 

HTH

I downloaded the photo and carefully drew a line up the far edge of the retort house roof.  I feel confident that the chimney is coming from the NW corner of the retort house, which is where the ovens appear to be located from the film with the paper taper being used before opening the oven door.

This seems to be reasonable.  Now, as you say, it is still hard to determine the exact position of the chimney with respect to the northern wall of the retort house, so  I won't add a hypothetical location on the 3D picture just yet.

Many thanks for the comments and link.  Most useful!

Paul