Fountain News

Posted 6th August 2010

We have a bumper issue of Fountains in the news this month so read on for more information. If you have any comments or have any news of your own why not contact us

Banbury - The Town are proposing to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 by designing a modern fountain for locating in the town square as part of the pedestrianisation of the town centre, and would be complimentary to the Banbury Cross. What a good idea!

Doncaster – The Society hopes that the water feature and light display at Brodsworth Hall, which was so successful last winter period, will be repeated this coming winter time.
The event has been ‘added to’ each period/year and last year saw the introduction of illuminated dancing fountains. Brodsworth Hall is owned and run by English Heritage.

London – The Trafalgar Square fountains have now completed their makeover which saw the fitting of ‘state of the art’ lighting that can be controlled from an ‘I phone’. The new colour formats will typically operate green on St. Patrick’s Day’, red and white for St. George’s Day and is part of the multitude of colour variants that will be used as part of a spectacular light show for the 2012 Olympics.

Additionally the 3 off pump sets and drives have been refurbished (these are now 50 years old!) and it is likely that the central displays could now reach their full 80 foot in height although local wind conditions would cause a lot of over-spray if run to this height for any period.

London – Work is well under way on the restoration and rebuilding of The St. Lawrence Jewry Memorial drinking fountain as part of the Carter Lane Quarter enhancement project, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in central London.

The fountain was originally erected in 1866 outside the Church of St. Lawrence Jewry near Guildhall as a gift to the City of London from the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association. It was designed by Architect John Robinson and the bronze sculpture was carried out by the artist Joseph Durham. It was taken down in the 1970’s during the redevelopment of Guildhall and stored as 150 pieces!

Northampton market square is being revised to incorporate lighting and colour displays during the late evening periods and part of this work will be a jet fountain display which is arranged in a circular granite area with seven jets emitting vertical water displays and up lighters will be incorporated at the ground level jets to dramatise the water effect after dusk.

A local Councillor commented “A fountain will bring more character to the south east corner of the square and that residents and visitors alike will take the time to enjoy our wonderful historic market square”.

Peterborough - The “City Fathers” behind the regeneration of the city centre area are investing good levels of money and expertise to increase their visitor popularity and appear to have noted the positive effect of the new Wolverhampton city centre interactive fountains and to this end will incorporate a multiple ground jet display feature to bring more life to this area, particularly Cathedral Square. The work is around the south bank and in the station quarter of the City and is a multimillion pound project.

Glasgow – A fountain, built in memory of a man who helped bring clean water to Glasgow, has returned to action after a £500,000 restoration project.

The A-graded Stewart Memorial Fountain in Kelvingrove Park was built in 1872 to commemorate Robert Stewart, Glasgow’s Lord Provost between 1851 and 1854.

Mr. Stewart championed the Loch Katrine water system and guided through Parliament the legislation which virtually eradicated cholera and typhus in Glasgow, providing it with a system which supplies fresh water to this day.

The fountain’s granite, sandstone, marble and bronze features have been cleaned and repaired and its sculptures, including some missing since the 1930s, and drains renewed, and a water recycling system and waterproof lining installed.

The official switch-on took place on the 150th anniversary of the day fresh water first flowed into Glasgow from Loch Katrine, and the current Lord Provost Bob Winter praised Stewart’s legacy: “This single deed made the biggest impact on the citizens of this city in terms of health, wealth and improvement of social conditions”.

The restoration of the fountain was overseen by Glasgow City Council in partnership with Glasgow City Heritage Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Water, the Better Glasgow Fund and The Pilgrim Trust.

Basel, Switzerland – If you visit Basel then a good place to start is Barfusserplatz or Barefoot Square with its historical museum, tapestries, models, displays and artefacts and just around the corner is the Tingvely Fountain which is a free for all showcase of the mechanical sculptures by Jean Tingvely (1925-1991) who grew up in Basel and belonged to the Parisian Avant Garde in the 1950’s and 60’s. He stimulated and revolutionised what he perceived as “the static” art world with his kinetic constructions.

Jedburgh – The Scottish Government’s regeneration fund is to finance the restoration of the Jubilee Fountain in Jedburgh after much and varied discussion. The Jubilee Fountain, in the town’s market place was built in 1889 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The ornamental gothic column which is topped by a Unicorn – the heraldic supporter of the Royal Scottish Arms – also holds the burgh shield and originally had four gas lights fitted on it.