Smitham Chimney is a chimney which was used for lead mining just outside the village of East Harptree

East Harptree

East Harptree is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells and south of Bristol, on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley. The parish has a population of 680...

, in the parish of Priddy

Priddy

Priddy is a village in Somerset, England in the Mendip Hills, close to East Harptree and north-west of Wells. It is in the local government district of Mendip....

, Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

The circular chimney has two types of red brick in its upper portion. There is a narrow opening at the base of the chimney.

It was built by the 'East Harptree Lead Works Co Ltd' in 1867, and by 1870 was producing 1,000 tons per annum. The company was largely unsuccessful and the industry only lasted for a few years. The chimney was threatened to be demolished in 1973, by the Somerset County Council

Somerset County Council

Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...

 but was protected from demolition. Because of the pollution the site supports a population of Lead Moss (Ditrichum plumbicola).