Gloucester Docks Drinking Fountain

Location: Gloucester, England

An unusual drinking fountain located at the north gate of Gloucester Docks was installed by the Gloucester City Board of Health at the bequest of merchants on behalf of their workers. Installed in 1863 this water supply was also used to fill ships’ water casks.

A stuccoed arch with bull nosed moulding adhered to the brick wall serves as a mount for the cast iron drinking fountain consisting of two pieces. A cast iron back-plate with Roman arch has an inscription on the trough at street level, Gloucester Local Board Of Health 1863. A small hydrant to the right is mounted off the ground. There is no visible tap or marking to identify the manufacturer of this structure.

Creative Commons License, Elliott Brown. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/14899510352

It was recorded as a Grade II listing by Historic England on 15 December 1998. Gloucester City Council and Gloucester Civic Trust assisted in the restoration of the historic inscription.

Glossary:

• Bull nose, a shaping pattern applied usually to the header edge of a brick or paver
• Roman arch, a semi-circular curved structure
• Stucco, a dense solid material used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings to cover less visually appealing construction materials

Spittal’s Lost Drinking Fountain

Location: Spittal, Berwick, Northumberland, England

The town’s name derives from a shortened form of the word, hospital. A hospital dedicated to St Bartholomew, was built in the 13^th century to take care of lepers.

St John’s parish church was built in 1867 on Main Street. The cast iron drinking fountain seated on a three tier square plinth was once located at the corner of Main Street and Sea Road not far from the church.

Source: ©-Berwick-Record-Office-BRO-1887-8-1-1024×682

Design number 4 standing 4 feet 9 inches high from Walter Macfarlane’s catalogue was manufactured by the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow featuring a single pedestal with decorative bands seated on an octagonal base. Rising from the etched basin was a bulbous form supporting a pointed finial and two consoles from which metal cups were suspended on chains.

Little is known in regard to the installation and subsequent removal of this ‘lost’ fountain.

Glossary:

• Console, a decorative bracket support element
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue
• Plinth, flat base usually projecting, upon which a pedestal, wall or column rests

Ram’s Head Drinking Fountain

Location: Stirling, Scotland

Four small pillar type drinking fountains located around the perimeter of King’s Park were restored in 2009 by Ballantine’s Iron Company at Bo’ness with a grant from Sterling City Heritage Trust and additional funding from Stirling Council Common Good Fund.

The fountains are located at the corner of Albert Place and at the side gate entrance to the park on Queen’s Road where a heritage interpretation panel explains the historic importance of the wells. The remaining two fountains are on Park Avenue (the example at the southern end of the Avenue was previously located on King’s Park Road).

These four drinking fountains were designed and manufactured by Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd. This late 19th century design was advertised as Kennedy’s patent, self-closing, anti-freezing pillar fountain. It consists of a fluted cast iron cylindrical column with moulded domed cap and small finial resembling a pineapple.

Water was drawn from a well by a wind pump and delivered by gravity from a reservoir. The water which was released by turning a decorative knob was located directly above a mascaron spout. It was captured in a tin cup suspended on a chain from the domed top. A small demi-lune trough at ground level captured overflow water for the use of dogs. Some models used a lever on the side to release the water and had an integral bucket platform located just above the base of the column. The fountains are stamped, Glenfield Coy Limited Kilmarnock.

The mascaron from which the water spouted was more commonly the head of a lion. However, the fountains at Albert Place and Queen’s Road sport ram’s heads. The example at the Queen’s Road park entrance is a category C listed Historic building. These fountains ceased to be operational after the 1980 Water (Scotland) Act.

Park Avenue. Creative Commons License, Lairich Rig. Source: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6286713

Park Avenue. Creative Commons License, Lairich Rig. Source: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6286713

Victoria Place. Creative Commons License, Lairich Rig. Source: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6286713

Queen’s Avenue. Source: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1WYX5_the-drinking-fountain?guid=513ad4d4-dd50-47ce-b9dc-5fc0709055a0

An additional example of the ram’s head model is located at Carradale on the east side of Kintyre, Scotland.

Used with permission, John P. Bolton, Scottish Ironwork Foundation

Glossary:

• Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Fluted, a long rounded groove
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal