Shot towers in Perth

[elanjacobs]

What's the deal with the old shot towers opposite Ascot Racecourse in Perth?

[BobL]

I don't think they are shot towers but just the chimney stacks for the attached old brick kilns.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-...eloped/6516154
They are heritage listed but nobody has or wants to spend any money on them.

[elanjacobs]

Ah I see, thanks

[ian]

shot towers are typically round and have easy access to a working platform at the top.

[rod1949]

The tower and the kilns and the old roof are all an absolute eye sore and should be completly demolished. I know its all probably is protected as heritage but really who gives a s... about it. To rejuvinate it would cost millions and to and for what purpose. Bulldoze the lot

[China]

Looks exactly like a kiln and chimney at a old brick works in Adelaide also heritage listed used to be a market for local crafts, Woolworths bought it and commercialised it now the real
craft people can no longer afford the rent

[BobL]

The tower and the kilns and the old roof are all an absolute eye sore and should be completly demolished. I know its all probably is protected as heritage but really who gives a s... about it. To rejuvinate it would cost millions and to and for what purpose. Bulldoze the lot

They don't bother me but then again I don't live in the area so I only see them when I visit Anorak Bob.

However, I do think things like this should be located within a broader context ie a part of a industrial heritage park alongside other old industrial buildings etc so they can be part of an heritage industrial museum. As far as these kilns go they're isolated on a small plot of land in suburbia and moving them elsewhere would be even more cost prohibitive. It may indeed be time to move on, but one thing I heard is that land under some brick kilns can be toxic and require very costly remediation - maybe that's another reason they are still there

For those that don't know what they look like here is a Google Earth roadside shot.
Screen Shot 2019-01-02 at 6.03.45 am.jpg

[artful bodger]

According to the article I just read there are only 3 shot towers left in Australia. Blowed if I know where the other 2 are but this one is near to me on a footpeg scraping corner just south of Hobart at Taroona. Built in 1870, no doubt shot from this one ended up in Thylacines, convicts and probably aboriginies. The whole state is a massive crime scene looking back.

shot-tower-101349-3.jpg

index.jpg

Why do you suppose the land under brick kilns may be toxic?
Not like bricks were generally glazed. (glazing can be iffy).
Doubt the land under lead shot towers is less delectable.

[Jarrodd]

There is a shot tower in Melbourne CBD:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coop's_Shot_Tower

[China]

I am not a scientist, I don't see the problem with lead in the ground it is where it came from the problem is when it is in the air

[BobL]

I am not a scientist, I don't see the problem with lead in the ground it is where it came from the problem is when it is in the air

It depends on the form of the lead. Lead Ores are usually water insoluble forms of lead, or even if they are soluble they are usually covered by large amounts of water impermeable rocks. All this which is why the ores are still around after many millions of years.
If any sort of processing converts the insoluble ores to a more soluble form then being on or in the ground close to the surface doesn't help - this lead then moves around with the water table especially when rainfall becomes acidic.

Why do you suppose the land under brick kilns may be toxic?
Not like bricks were generally glazed. (glazing can be iffy).
Doubt the land under lead shot towers is less delectable.

It depends on the toxic heavy metal content of the clay. Clay is a sponge for soaking up heavy metals, the older the clay the more loaded it is with heavy metals. Normally it is quite safe to handle at room temperatures but firing the large amounts of clay in a kiln releases some of these toxins heavily polluting the ground under and around the kilns. The fumes and dust form the kilns can also travel for many kms polluting larger areas of land around kilns but most of that dust falls on the ground near or around the kilns. The older the kilns the worse the problem is because the stuff accumulates. Modern brickworks can now only operate under strict environmental regulation - third world countries of course this is another story.

[China]

Thanks for that, puts it all in a new perspective.