Shot tower and former leadworks, Boughton
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Shot tower and former leadworks, Boughton by Espresso Addict 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
Shot tower and former leadworks, Boughton
Image: © Espresso Addict Taken: 3 Feb 2007
The former leadworks, adjacent to the Shropshire Union Canal, includes a 168-feet-tall grade-II*-listed shot tower dating from 1799, the oldest of the three remaining such towers in the UK. Lead shot was manufactured here until around 2000 using a process invented by William Watts around 1782: a furnace at the top of the tower melted the lead, which was dropped through a sieve and the spherical drops were cooled in a water tank at the base of the tower. The interior of the building retains a spiral staircase, and a 20th century steel-framed lift shaft is attached on the outside (not visible at this angle). Much of the old leadworks site has recently been demolished to make way for apartments (see Image). See also http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=469839
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
53.194133
Longitude
-2.879466