“The Scene Below Can Be Imagined…” – A Biography of the Waterloo Shot Tower

2026 marks the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, during which the Shot Tower standing by Waterloo Bridge played a prominent part.

It is now little remembered – a forgotten architectural ugly sister to the Festival’s two Cinderellas, the Skylon and Dome of Discovery. But during its lifetime it played a significant role in the industrial mix of the Lambeth riverside and its presence in London’s lived experience was celebrated in literature and the mass media. This talk by Nick Rampley tells the story of this overlooked ‘pillar’ of Lambeth’s heritage.

Nick Rampley is a trustee of The Bridge at Waterloo and a Director of the We Are Waterloo business improvement district.

This event forms part of ““, a series of events celebrating St John’s Festival of Britain heritage, which runs between July and December 2026:

The summer of 1951 saw the South Bank transformed by the Festival of Britain, and alongside stood a rebuilt St John’s Waterloo. Bombed during the Blitz, the church was reconstructed for that great national celebration, its restored nave welcoming choirs every day from across the country to sing evensong over the course of four months. Newly adorned with murals by Hans Feibusch and branded as the “Festival Church”, St John’s hosted a varied programme of music and radio-theatre alongside the other great venues of that celebratory summer. Today, St John’s and the Royal Festival Hall survive as living reminders of that hopeful season of arts, science and new beginnings.

75 years on, St John’s keeps up the Festival spirit for which it was rebuilt: a living church and arts venue rooted in its neighbourhood, host to choirs, musicians and community voices, and as committed to social justice as it is to its heritage. In that spirit, and to mark this anniversary, we are presenting a series of events from July to December 2026, beginning with the Waterloo Festival, that bring together music, heritage and community under the banner of Now I make a leaf of voices.

Getting to St John’s Waterloo: St John’s Waterloo is accessible by bus, tube or train; the nearest station is Waterloo Station. Parking is available in Exton Street on pay bays, Monday to Friday from 8.30am till 6.30pm & Saturday 8.30am till 1.30pm. Payment must be made by phone or app, details can be found on signs along Exton Street. After 6.30pm (1pm on Saturday) parking is free within the bays and on single yellow lines. There are no disabled bays along Exton Street. Parking is also available in car parks in York Road and Cornwall Road, details for both can be found online.