Pellet Tower

It is one of the two towers for the manufacture of lead bullets and pellets that are still standing in La Carolina as a testimony to its mining past. Located in Calle Ondeano, it has been restored as an interpretation centre open to the public. Its construction began in 1825 after the formation of a mining company whose capitalist partners were Mr. Luis Figueroa and Mr. Bernardo Casamayor. In 1849 it was fully operational, manufacturing ammunition of different calibers with lead from La Carolina and Linares. It ceased its activity towards the middle of the 20th century.

The manufacturing process was developed and patented by William Watts (Bristol, England) in 1782, which he called the "Shot tower", and consists of raising the free fall of the molten lead droplets to allow sufficient time for the surface tension to form a perfect sphere or ball before falling into the water container.

This tower was refurbished in 2011 and can be visited as an interpretation center with a detailed exhibition explaining the history and manufacturing process of the pellets.

To visit it or for further information, please contact the Museum of La Carolina.