Chester Shot Tower

"Interesting, historical tower close to the Shropshire Union Canal and the associated Spheres Of Reflection sculpture by Edd Snell. Grade 2 listed building harking back to the days of Chester Leadworks. Built in 1799, this tower is the oldest of three remaining shot towers in the UK and may be the oldest surviving shot tower still standing in the world. It stands 168 ft tall and the diameter at the top is 20 ft. Its interior houses a spiral staircase and melting pots. Lead shot for muskets was made here, and was used in the Napoleonic Wars. Molten lead was poured through a pierced copper sieve at the top of the tower, with the droplets forming perfect spheres by surface tension during the fall. There was a vat of water at the tower's base that cooled the spheres. This tower was still in use in 2001, the year the leadworks closed."

"Impressive building . Found the door open as engineer was inside , so went in . Not much to see , all the staircase has gone , lots of pigeon poo ."

"Great historic landmark, now under restoration. There is going to be a visitor centre on the ground floor. Sculpture is called Mr Walker and represents the original use of the tower."

"Shot tower,,168ft tall chesters tallest building grad 2 listed currently 4 perigon Falcons are nesting,, mum and dad showing the kids how to hunt,,"

"This iconic land mark may look plain but we must realize the importance of its structure. So far , this is one of its kind in the UK and the best preserved.It was built in 1799 and stands @168 ft."