- Shot Tower, Lambeth
The Shot Tower at the Lambeth Lead Works was a
shot tower that stood on theSouth Bank of theRiver Thames inLondon ,England , betweenWaterloo Bridge andHungerford Bridge , on the site of what is now theQueen Elizabeth Hall . It was a prominent landmark on the river and featured in a number of paintings, including byJ. M. W. Turner .History
The Shot Tower was built for Thomas Maltby & Co. in
1826 , designed by David Riddal Roper. In 1839, it was taken over by Walkers, Parker & Co., a company that also operated the square shot tower to the east of Waterloo Bridge. They operated the tower until 1949. In 1950, the gallery chamber at the top of the tower was removed and a steel-framed superstructure was added instead, providing aradio beacon for the 1951Festival of Britain . It was the only existing building to be retained on the site for the Festival. After the Festival, the tower was demolished to make way for the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which opened in 1967.Description
The tower was brick-built, with a slight taper. At the base it was 30 feet in diameter, with 3-foot thick walls. At the gallery located at the top, it was 20 feet in diameter with 18-inch walls. The gallery chamber was surrounded by a
cornice andparapet , with an ironbalustrade . The gallery was 163 feet high and was reached by aspiral staircase attached to the inside face of the wall. Halfway up there was a floor for making smalllead shot . The gallery level at the top was used for making large shot.External links
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=47038 Shot Tower and Lead Works, No. 63 Belvedere Road] from [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ British History Online]
* [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=PAF1303 Shot Tower drawing] byWilliam Lionel Wyllie in theNational Maritime Museum
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.