Letters - January 2008

The gunpowder trail

From Simon Bourne

As an avid reader of Chemistry trails, I would like to share with you an interesting find of my own. Walking through River Crane Park situated on the London Loop between Whitton and Hounslow, I came across the Shot Tower, which was built by 'Mr Jacobs of Hanworth in 1826'. The tower is a remnant of the gunpowder industry, which thrived along the banks of this river. Lead was melted on the ground floor of the tower and carried to the top in metal carriers, at which point it was poured through a copper sieve. As the lead fell to the bottom, it formed into round balls or lead shot. At just 83 feet tall, however, there is some controversy as to whether this tower was high enough to make lead shot in this way - most shot towers were built over 120 feet tall. However, in its favour, the one in Crane Park is built on the river bank, and it is conceivable that the lead fell several extra feet into the river. I wonder if other readers have come across any interesting remnants of our chemical industrial past.