The Coops Shot Tower

Shot tower

thumb|The Shot Tower, Bristol, EnglandA shot tower is a tower designed for the production of shot balls by freefall of molten lead, which is then caught in a water basin. The shot is used for projectiles in firearms.-Process:...

is located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. It was completed in 1888 and is 50 metres high. The historic building was saved from demolition in 1973 and was incorporated into the vast Melbourne Central

Melbourne Central Shopping Centre

Melbourne Central is a large shopping centre, office, and public transport hub in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The complex includes the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which was refurbished in 2005 by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall; the Melbourne Central railway station ; and the 211 m...

 complex in 1991 underneath an 84 m-high conical glass roof.

Coop's Shot Tower is 9 storeys high, and has 327 steps to the top. The tower produced six tonnes of shot weekly up until 1961, when the demand for the lead shot dwindled, because of new firearm regulations.

Recently, a museum called the Shot Tower Museum has been set up inside of the tower at the back of R.M. Williams, which is tenanted in the tower.

The site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register

Victorian Heritage Register

The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...

.

External Links

• Coops Shot Tower: 211 LaTrobe Street, MELBOURNE on Walking Melbourne