Cheese Lane Shot Tower

A Monument to Industrial Innovation

The Cheese Lane Shot Tower represents a remarkable chapter in Bristol's industrial history and the evolution of manufacturing technology. Built in 1969, this striking concrete structure replaced the original shot tower erected by William Watts in 1782—the world's first of its kind. Watts, a Bristol plumber, discovered that dropping molten lead from a great height created perfectly spherical shot, a discovery that revolutionized ammunition production and spawned an entire category of industrial architecture. His invention was so significant that he received a patent for the process, and shot towers based on his design were subsequently built across the world.

Engineering and Design Excellence

The current tower stands 43 meters tall and was designed by E.N. Underwood and Partners, a firm of structural engineers. Its distinctive form features a twelve-sided crucible room at the top, giving the structure an outline reminiscent of a cotton bud—a design choice that earned it the Civic Design Award from the Bristol Civic Society in 1969. The tower is constructed of reinforced concrete and originally housed a gas-fired cast iron cauldron for melting lead ingots. The drop distance from the crucible room to the ground measured 37 meters, providing the precise height needed for the lead shot to solidify into uniform spheres as it fell. The crucible room itself has a diameter of 7.3 meters, and the entire structure represents one of the last shot towers ever built and one of only three to survive in England.

From Production to Preservation

The Sheldon Bush and Patent Shot Company Limited operated the original tower from 1868 until its demolition in 1968, when road widening schemes necessitated its removal. Rather than abandon the process, the company constructed this replacement tower on a nearby site already in use for manufacturing. Production continued under the new structure until the late 1980s, when environmental concerns about lead and the adoption of alternative manufacturing methods rendered the tower obsolete. The entire manufacturing site ceased operations in 1994. Facing demolition, the tower was rescued in 1995 when English Heritage granted it grade II listed status, recognizing its architectural and historical significance.

Contemporary Life and Adaptive Use

In 2005, the tower was fully refurbished and incorporated as the centerpiece of the Vertigo office development, a modern mixed-use complex on the north bank of Bristol's Floating Harbour. This adaptive reuse transformed the industrial relic into a functioning part of the contemporary urban landscape. The upper level of the tower now serves as a boardroom for the building's owners, The Workforce Development Trust, a not-for-profit organization that encompasses Skills for Health, Skills for Justice, SFJ Awards, and People 1st International. The tower's integration into this office development demonstrates how industrial heritage can be preserved while serving modern commercial purposes.

Architectural Significance and Legacy

The Cheese Lane Shot Tower exemplifies brutalist concrete architecture and represents a pivotal moment in industrial design history. Its twelve-sided form and monolithic presence make it an instantly recognizable landmark along the Floating Harbour. The tower's survival and preservation stand in contrast to the fate of countless other industrial structures demolished during urban renewal. As one of the last shot towers constructed and among the few remaining examples worldwide, it serves as a tangible link to the era when Bristol was a global center of manufacturing innovation. The tower's story encompasses invention, industrial production, environmental transformation, and the modern challenge of preserving industrial heritage in evolving urban environments.