Frederick Albert Winsor, originally Friedrich Albrecht Winzer (1763 in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (german: Fürstentum Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel) was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. It had an area of 3,828 ...

– 11 May 1830 in Paris) was a German inventor, one of the pioneers of

gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directl ...

in the UK and France. Winsor went to Britain before 1799 and became interested in the technology and economics of fuels. In 1802 he went to Paris to investigate the 'thermo-lamp' which French engineer

Philippe LeBon Philippe le Bon (or Lebon) (D'Humbersin) (May 29, 1767 – December 1, 1804) was a French engineer, born in Brachay, France. There is much confusion about his life and accomplishments. His main contributions were improvements to steam engines ...

had patented in 1799. Returning to Britain, he started a gasworks and in 1807 lit one side of Pall Mall, London, with gas lamps. In 1804–09 he was granted various patents for gas furnaces and application to Parliament for a charter for the

Gas Light and Coke Company The Gas Light and Coke Company (also known as the Westminster Gas Light and Coke Company, and the Chartered Gas Light and Coke Company), was a company that made and supplied coal gas and coke. The headquarters of the company were located on H ...

having failed, Winsor once more moved to France, but unlike the success he had in United Kingdom in Paris his company in made little progress and was liquidated in 1819. The distilling retort Winsor used consisted of an iron pot with a fitted lid. The lid had a pipe in the centre leading to the conical condensing vessel, which was compartmented inside with perforated divisions to spread the gas to purify it of

hydrogen sulphide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...

and

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

. The device was not very successful, and the gas being burned was impure and emitted a pungent smell. Winsor published ''Description of the Thermo-lamp Invented by Lebon of Paris'' in 1802, ''Analogy between Animal and Vegetable Life, Demonstrating the Beneficial Application of the Patent Light Stoves to all Green and Hot Houses'' in 1807, and other works. Frederick_Winsor_1763-1830_gave_the_world%27s_first_demonstration_of_street_lighting_by_coal_gas_from_a_retort_located_here_June_1807

Frederick_Winsor_1763-1830_gave_the_world%27s_first_demonstration_of_street_lighting_by_coal_gas_from_a_retort_located_here_June_1807

He died in Paris and was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

. A green plaque on Pall Mall in London marks the site of Winsor's first demonstration, and there is a memorial to him in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

. Winsor Terrace in

Beckton Beckton is a suburb in east London, England, located east of Charing Cross and part of the London Borough of Newham. Adjacent to the River Thames, the area consisted of unpopulated marshland known as the East Ham Levels in the parishes of Bark ...

, the former approach road to

Beckton Gas Works Beckton Gasworks was a major London gasworks built to manufacture coal gas and other products including coke from coal. It has been variously described as 'the largest such plant in the world' Winchester C (Ed), ''Handling 2,000,000 tons of coal ...

, is named in his honour.

References

*Trevor I. Williams, ‘Winsor, Frederick Albert (1763–1830)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', first published Sept 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Winsor, Frederick Albert 19th-century German inventors Scientists from Braunschweig People from Brunswick-Lüneburg 1763 births 1830 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery