In Chester the Shrophsire Union Canal leads down to the river Dee following the route of the older Chester Canal that was built in 1772 to connect Chester to Nantwich.

The silhouetted building in the right hand side of the frame is the cities historic shot tower.

The Shot Tower stands beside the Shropshire Union Canal and formed part of the Chester Leadworks, built by Walkers, Parker & Co. in 1799. The tower is the oldest of three remaining shot tower in the UK and probably the oldest such structure standing in the world. The tower was built to manufacture lead shot using the method pioneered by William Watts in the 1780s.

Molten lead was poured through a pierced copper plate or sieve at the top of the tower, with the droplets forming perfect spheres during the fall. The spherical drops were then cooled in a vat of water below.

Ref: CHESTER001

Date: 19 March 2007

Location: Chester, Cheshire, United Kingdom

Photographer: © Simon Sait

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