Between 1836 and 1898 gas undertakings were formed to serve Douglas, Castletown and Port St Mary, whilst the Ramsey Gas Light Co dated from 1857. Each had its appropriate gasworks. Coal gas generation finally finished in the Island in 1971 with the closure of Port St Mary gas works, and none of the plants remain intact, since the changeover to natural gas, imported in bulk liquid form. The Douglas Gas Company Ltd and the Ramsey Gas Light Co Ltd (taken over in 1967 by Calor Gas Ltd and now trading as Calor Manx Gas Ltd) remain trading.
There was a fifth Town Gasworks on the Island, at Peel. It was built about the same time as the Ramsey site, after a special Act of Tynwald was passed in 1857. In the 1960s, with the advent of natural gas and LPG, the Peel Gaslight Co got into financial difficulties (along with the Castletown and Port St. Mary companies) and had to be rescued by the taxpayer. The gasholder still remains, but the bulk of the site has been cleared.
