What is a shot tower?

By ANNE GIBSON

Shot towers were common earlier last century and used for making lead pellets for bullets.

The process was a true art, affected by the temperature outside, the skill and experience of the shot-maker and the quality of materials.

The process started with 28kg bars of solid lead which were hauled from ground level 30m to the top of the tower via a lift, which is still visible today.

The lead was put into a melting pot in the tiny corrugated iron shed, where it was left to reach a searing 480 deg C, although this differed according to the temperature outside.

The molten lead then flowed into what looked like a kitchen frying pan before it ran into a lower pan which had hundreds of tiny holes in its base.

The lead was then dropped about 30m to a deep water trough at ground level to break its fall and stop it from flattening out and not forming the perfect ball.

The shot was then cooled and polished with graphite in a revolving barrel where it was sorted until the finished product was a series of identical ball bearings.

One of the longest-serving shot makers was Harry Fairley who made shot from the shed for more than 20 years. When the tower and ammunition plant closed in December 1982, 160 workers lost their jobs. This included the resident shot-maker at the time, George Dundridge, who had worked in the tower for a decade. He was philosophical about the plant's closure, telling the New Zealand Herald, "It is a shame to see it go, a very sad thing, but there will be some very happy rabbits around."

Interested parties and the public have until Wednesday, May 17 to support or oppose the application to demolish Mt Eden's historic shot tower. Applications should be made in writing to Auckland City, Private Bag 92 516 Wellesley St. Copies of the application to demolish the tower can be viewed at Epsom Library or Auckland City's offices in Auckland Central.