Chester Leadworks and Shot Tower

The Chester Leadworks and Shot Tower is an industrial building, constructed in 1799 and later, primarily for the production of lead shot. Currently, the works are mostly used for storage. The structure is made of brick and features slate roofs.

The exterior includes a former industrial workshop that originally had six bays but now has three bays along with a taller west bay. The lower brickwork on the south side, facing the Chester Canal, has been altered in the 20th century and includes a doorway and nine metal windows. A gable clock from 1801 is visible from the canal. The roofs are partly glazed and partially covered with sheet materials. The shot tower, which is the main feature justifying the building's special status, was built by Walkers Parker and Co. in 1799 to supply lead shot during the Napoleonic wars. At the time of listing, it was the only shot tower in Britain still in use, though it ceased operations in 2001. The tower is circular, with a base diameter of 30 feet (9.1 meters) and a crown diameter of 20 feet (6.0 meters), standing at 168 feet (41.19 meters) high, and includes a lightly clad steel-framed lift shaft added in the 20th century.

Inside the shot tower, the interior remains intact, featuring a peripheral stone spiral staircase and four round-arched windows that rise with the stair at each turn.

The tower is historically significant as it showcases the revolutionary shot production process patented by William Watts in 1783.