Marine Hill Fountain

Location: Clevedon, Somerset, England

Located next to a parking bay on Marine Hill is a memorial drinking fountain and trough. It was erected in1902 as a memorial to Edward Long-Davies by his sister.

Drinking fountain number 15 from Walter Macfarlane’s & Co.’s Saracen Foundry is a wall mounted drinking fountain with a fluted demi-lune basin. An arch faceplate bears the inscription “Keep The Pavement Dry”. The interior of the arch contains a shell lunette from which a tap protrudes. Two doves represent the symbolism of the spirit drinking from the water of life. A single drinking cup on a chain is suspended on a decorative console.

The fountain was restored by the Clevedon Civic Society in 1990.

In one of the images a plaque is visible above the drinking fountain. If a reader knows the inscription, please inform me using the Comment option.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simoncaplan/4489426533/

Glossary:

• Console, a decorative bracket support element
• Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
• Lunette, the half-moon shaped space framed by an arch, often containing a window or painting

 

Mount Street Gardens Fountain

Location: Mayfair, London, England

Within Mount Street Gardens is a drinking fountain comprised of a granite reservoir and bronze pedestal. It was designed by architects Harold Peto and Sir Ernest George in 1891 for real estate agent Henry Lofts.

Used with permission. Source: http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/henry-lofts

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/justincormack/189645263

The multi tiered pedestal contains two demi-lune basins with lion mascarons which spout water. The pedestal is carved and molded in three forms with scroll consoles on each of the four sides. It is likely that metal cups were suspended on chains from these consoles. The capital supports the statue of a horse rearing above a wave which has been mistakenly referenced as a hippocamp (a mythological sea creature with the head and forelegs of a horse and the tail of a fish.) The tail is actually a regular horse tail. However, the front hooves of the statue are in the form of fins.

Source: http://rupertharris.com/products/hippocampus-drinking-fountain

A plaque on the north side of the basin states: This Fountain Was Erected By Henry Lofts In Recognition Of Many Happy Years In Mount Street. Sir Ernest George, R.A. Fecit. 1892.

Source: http://rupertharris.com/products/hippocampus-drinking-fountain

Another plaque located on the ground to the north identifies a restoration which took place in 1993. This fountain has been refurbished in honour of Carlos Castello Branco (1920 – 1993) and his wife Elvia by their daughter Luciana, unveiled by Rubens Antonio Barbosa, Brazilian Ambassador and the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Angela Hooper, OBE. 4th July 1994.

Used with permission. Source: http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/carlos-and-elvia-castello-branco

In 2005 the residents of Mayfair and St. James raised the funds required to restore the fountain which had suffered vandalism and theft of key components.

Creative Commons License. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/remittancegirl/4537504998/

Rupert Harris Conservation Ltd. was hired to conserve and restore the fountain to working order. The modelling and molding for the statue was created from original photographs by Irene Gunston. Step by step creation can be viewed here http://www.irenegunston.com/projects.html

Used with permission, Irene Gunston

Used with permission, Irene Gunston

A second plaque on the south side of the granite basin states: The Restoration Of This Fountain Was Funded By The Residents’ Society Of Mayfair And St. James’s, Their Supporters And The Heritage Of London Trust. Unveiled By His Grace, The Duke Of Westminster, KG OBE TD DL.

The Grade II Listed drinking fountain was unveiled by the Duke of Westminster in 2006.

Glossary:

• Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
• Console, a decorative bracket support element
• Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue

 

W. C. T. U. Fountain

Location: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

The white and gold drinking fountain, seated on a square plinth at the edge of the sidewalk alongside the Bank of Commerce on High Street West, was erected by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) in 1907. Ten feet tall it consisted of a square column surmounted by a statue. Four square panels at the base contained bas-relief of two intertwined sea serpents. One of the panels offered a fluted demi-lune basin with a dog head mascaron that spouted water, for the use of dogs and small animals.

A second level of rectangular panels outlined with ‘egg and tongue’ moulding rose above a chamfered edge decorated with rosette fret. On two panels the bas-relief was sculptured with two swans with raised wings resting on an orb from which rose Neptune’s trident flanked by stylized flowers and bulrushes. The remaining two sides contained a horse trough with a large lion mascaron from which water spouted; and a drinking basin for humans, displaying only bulrushes, the leaves of which decorated the basin. Tin cups were suspended on chains. Above the arched recess was bas-relief of ivy leaves.

An upper and lower cornice with rosette and acanthus frieze bordered a third level of panels. The bulrush theme was repeated in horizontal bas-relief. The acroter was stamped with W.C.T.U. flanked by two ribbons. The capital supported a 36″ tall statue of a maiden feeding a bird, identified as #226 Girl Feeding Bird.  A bird perches on her right wrist as she gathers a tunic at her left hip with her left hand creating a pouch containing seeds. Her head is tilted slightly back and she holds a seed in her mouth. The sculpture is attributed to bronze founder, George Fischer.

The manufacturer’s stamp was visible on the octagonal base of the statue, J. W. Fiske / 26.28 Park Place / New York. The sculpture is attributed to George Fischer, bronze founder.

Source: http://saskhistoryonline.ca/islandora/object/mjpl%3A34493

For detailed photos of how the original fountain looked, go to this link to see the same casting design. https://memorialdrinkingfountains.wordpress.com/?s=anacortes

Glossary:

• Acanthus, one of the most common plant forms (deeply cut leaves) to make foliage ornament and decoration
• Acroter, flat base
• Bas-relief, sculpted material that has been raised from the background to create a slight projection from the surface
• Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
• Chamfer, a beveled edge
• Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
• Fret, running or repeated ornament
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal
• Plinth, flat base usually projecting, upon which a pedestal, wall or column rests.
• Rosette, a round stylized flower design

 

 

University of Michigan Fountain

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

This fountain created in bronze was designed by Albin Palasek, a Chicago artist and sculptor. The sculptured drum sitting on a circular granite base offers three bubblers that spout water into recessed basins.

The sculptured bas-relief is a procession of classically dressed figures representing Youth, Labour, Poetry and Philosophy: boys playing musical instruments, a child with a basket of flowers flanked by women carrying water jugs, a young man with a scroll in his hand, a maiden with exposed breast, a shepherd with sheep, and a youth displaying a scroll containing Roman numerals (I to X) before a philosopher who is deep in thought.

A dedication is engraved around the top of the drum: Presented To The City Of Ann Arbor And To The University By Francis M. Hamilton, A Member Of The Class Of 1869 And Mayor Of Ann Arbor, 1905-1907.

Francis Hamilton bequeathed $1,000 to the city of Ann Arbor to erect a drinking fountain. Following his death in 1914 his family donated an additional $500 to cover the cost. The fountain was installed at the central campus of the University of Michigan on the corner of North University Avenue & State Street. It was unveiled at Commencement in 1919 on behalf of the class of 1869, and dedicated at the 50^th anniversary of Hamilton’s graduation.

1920 image. Source: http://ur.umich.edu/1112/Sep12_11/2586-old-school-u-m

1920 image. Source: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl004496/BL004496?lasttype=boolean;lastview=thumbnail;resnum=3;size=20;sort=bhl_su;start=1;subview=detail;view=entry;xc=1;rgn1=bhl_su;q1=Fountains–Michigan–Ann%2520Arbor

Photographer, Maria Abdelnour. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwabdel/4630244685/

Photographer, Brandon Bartoszek. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33988281@N00/5457188692

Glossary:

• Bas-relief, sculpted material that has been raised from the background to create a slight projection from the surface
• Bubbler, a fountain with a tap which ejects a stream of water