The Shot Tower, Crane Park
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Shot Tower, Crane Park by Des Blenkinsopp as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
The Shot Tower, Crane Park
Image: © Des Blenkinsopp Taken: 13 Nov 2011
Constructed in 1826 for the manufacture of lead shot, this is the only complete structure left on a site which has a long history of gunpowder making. Remains of the powder mills can be found nearby, notably the millstreams, sluices and wheel bays which powered the grindstones. Various histories recount the frequency with which the mills used to explode, and the sad loss of life. There is a letter from author Horace Walpole complaining that his windows had been blown out. (He lived about 3 km away) He suggests orders be given that no more mills should explode and that Gunpowder should be kept underwater until it is needed. A Health and Safety visionary ahead of his time..... A good history is on http://www.oldindustry.org/ShotTowers/local_history_river_crane.pdf Supplemental of an old advertisement from here Image The tower is beside the London Loop long distance path.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.443311
Longitude
-0.377045