Village fountain to get a makeover

Posted 11th October 2009

Published: 03/10/2009

Torphins residents band together to spruce up Victorian monument

AN AGEING Victorian fountain in the heart of a Deeside village is to be restored to its original state after a campaign by local residents.

Repairs to the red granite fountain, built more than 100 years ago, are part of a rolling programme of work being done by Torphins Community Council.

The members are sprucing up the Deeside village to make it more attractive to residents and visitors alike.

A stone mason from Tarland was recently hired to clean the fountain, which was erected in the 1890s to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

The community council now wants to make repairs to a number of large cracks on the monument, restore the top which has been damaged, and get water running through it once again.

Community council chairman Denis Christie said: “It’s not a big village with lots of monuments.

“The fountain has lots of significance. It’s something I think people feel proud of and want to see sorted out.”

The community council plans to brighten up the village with flowers bought from Aberdeenshire Council.

Their improvement campaign also includes refurbishing a series of neglected notice boards and moving the village’s recycle bins from outside the village hall. Mr Christie said it was “very satisfying” to see the group’s plans start to bear fruit. “I’ve lived here for a long time and I want to see these issues sorted out,” he said.

Article courtesy of Press and Journal, Aberdeen Journals Ltd