Forest Hall Drinking Fountain/Trough

Location: Forest Hall, North Tyneside, England

A drinking fountain/trough/lamp combination originally located in the centre of the road near the Clousden Hill Inn in the village of Forest Hall was removed and missing for many decades. The earliest image of this drinking fountain/trough/lamp is dated 1900.

Circa 1900. Creative Commons License, Discover North Tyneside ACC11823Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/discover-north-tyneside/29555727167/

Circa 1926. Source: http://sync.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/detailfs?userid=%7b58E08A8B-ADBC-42C8-A4E0-97D0D715519A%7d&ndx=3&slideshow=0&AlbumId=%7b483D49C8-4C55-4198-9DA3-692179152294%7d&GroupId=%7bEC2420EF-44A5-49FD-AE0C-7E54F344E0BC%7d&screenheight=705

Local historian and photographer Jack Phillips began searching for the cast iron trough after seeing an old picture of the Clousden Hill Inn. From the original structure only the discarded horse trough was discovered in the North Tyneside Council yard at Springfield Park. Phillips wrote to the Longbenton Council with a suggestion that it should be reinstated. It was restored and installed in 1984 at the junction of Forest Hall Road and Great Lime Road not far from its original location. It no longer serves its original function and is utilised as a flower planter.

Source: http://www.timarchive.freeuk.com/html/forest_hall.htm

Design  #80 manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co. in the Saracen´s foundry, Glasgow was well suited for Street Crossings, Squares, Market Places, etc., as it afforded drinking accommodation for a large number of horses and drivers, and effectively lit a wide space, with the least possible obstruction to other traffic. Standing 12 ft 9ins high it consisted of a circular cast iron basin with broad rounded rim supported on legs cast in the form of horse hooves. The fetlock transitioned at the interface with the trough into an acanthus scroll motif. Water was regulated by a small patent cistern, which was self-acting, and when the troughs were full the ball rose and shut the water off.

The central stanchion with attic base supported a central fluted column and the option of a shield for inscription. Four projecting consoles suspended cups on chains that allowed humans to drink from spouting water (the water flow was operated with two bib valves which released water when pressed). A bulbous form engraved with acanthus bas-relief demarcated the transition of the column into a lamp pillar (#30) supporting a central gas lamp (design #208) roofed in with scales of opal glass which allowed the lantern to cast the light downward. The terminal was a crown with lantern. Yoke maintenance arms were positioned beneath the lantern.

Glossary

• Acanthus, one of the most common plant forms (deeply cut leaves) to make foliage ornament and decoration
• Attic base, a column base with two rings
• Bas-relief, sculpted material that has been raised from the background to create a slight projection from the surface
• Bib valve, a valve controlling the release of a liquid
• Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
• Console, a decorative bracket support element
• Fluted Shaft, a long rounded groove decorating the shaft of a column
• Stanchion, an upright bar or post providing support
• Terminal, statue or ornament that stands on a pedestal
• Yoke maintenance arms, the bars near the top of the street light which supported the lamplighter’s ladder

Rondebosch Fountain

Location: Capetown, South Africa

This fountain was briefly mentioned in a previous post entitled Distant Twins & Cousins which reviewed the same model in Loanhead, Scotland, and Mowbray and Simon’s Town both in the Republic of South Africa.

The drinking fountain with trough and lamp was donated to the people of Rondebosch by mining magnate Mr. George Pigot Moodie in 1891.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rondebosch_Fountain_Detail.jpg. Creative Commons License, Roche Petersen

Located on a traffic island at the intersection of Belmont and Main Road in the centre of Rondebosch it is recognized as the first electric street light in the area it was declared a national monument on the 10th of April 1964.

In 2011 the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District together with other stake holders financed refurbishment of the fountain which had begun to deteriorate. Originally black and gold the paint colours were changed to the current heritage-green.

Crica 2011

Circa 2015

The structure was destroyed by a speeding car driven by an unlicensed drunk driver in 2015.

Source: http://kfm.co.za/articles/2018/08/24/in-pics-project-to-reproduce-landmark-rondebosch-fountain-almost-complete

Heritage Castings, a restoration company based in Blackheath, which undertook the restoration of the fountain in May 2017 has funded most of the cost of repairing the fountain with the Simon van der Stel Foundation making a financial contribution. Established in Cape Town in 1990, Heritage Castings is one of a few remaining foundries worldwide capable of recreating original castings of this nature.

Many parts including the lantern were missing and were replicated with wood patterns by foundry pattern maker Steve Wood at the Cape Town foundry. The horse and dog troughs have been refurbished. The entire restoration is in cast aluminium as it is more durable and does not rust, therefore requiring very little maintenance.

Although the fountain which is being restored with the original colour palette was scheduled to be installed in 2019, national laws for donated items must go through a legal process which has caused a delay. *UPDATE* Restoration complete – read article dated 24 September 2020. https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/historic-fountain-of-1891-restored-and-returned-to-rondebosch-community-3ca88b2c-633c-5255-90e0-f213e8c36232

The drinking fountain is design #27 manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co. in the Saracen Foundry, Glasgow. The design was advertised as well suited for Street Crossings, Squares, Market Places, etc., as it afforded drinking accommodation for a large number of horses and drivers, and effectively lit a wide space, with the least possible obstruction to other traffic.

It provided a drinking trough for horses with small basins for dogs at ground level. The trough was a 6’6” diameter circular cast iron basin supported on legs in the form of horses’ hooves. The water was regulated by a small patent cistern, which was self-acting, and when the troughs were full the ball rose and shut the water off.

The central stanchion supported a central column with flared bases and pilasters. Four projecting consoles suspended cups on chains that allowed humans to drink from spouting water (the water flow was operated with two bib valves which released water when pressed). Horses drank from the large basin.

A dedication shield located directly above the consoles was adhered to the fluted shaft. The decorative capital, enriched with acanthus and rosette with a dog tooth frieze, supported a central lamp roofed in with scales of opal glass which allowed the lantern to cast the light downward. The terminal was a crown. The electric light was powered by Pigot Moodie’s own generator until the municipal power supply was implemented in 1892.

Glossary

• Acanthus, one of the most common plant forms (deeply cut leaves) to make foliage ornament and decoration
• Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
• Console, a decorative bracket support element
• Dog tooth, pyramid shaped carving
• Fluted Shaft, a long rounded groove decorating the shaft of a column
• Frieze, the horizontal part of a classical moulding just below the cornice, often decorated with carvings
• Pilaster, a column form that is only ornamental and not supporting a structure
• Rosette, a round stylized flower design
• Stanchion, upright bar, post or frame providing support
• Terminal, statue or ornament that stands on a pedestal

Kennett Square Water Fountain

Location: Kennett Square, PA, U.S.A.

The fountain was erected in July 1892 in front of the old Borough Hall which was demolished in 1905 and replaced with the Firemen’s Auditorium. The fountain was removed in 1921 due to declining horse traffic possibly related to the popularity of the railroad and the introduction of the automobile. The location became a parking lot in 1965 and is now the home of the Franklin Center.

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2060823.Kennett_Square

Source: https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=WkOzk8TCOQIC&dq=Fireman%27s+Auditorium+in+Kennett+Square&q=fountain#v=snippet&q=fountain&f=false

Source: https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=WkOzk8TCOQIC&dq=Fireman%27s+Auditorium+in+Kennett+Square&q=fountain#v=snippet&q=fountain&f=false

The drinking fountain was mounted on a square block at the edge of the street with a small basin for dogs. Three square panels at the base contained bas-relief of a Naiad, and to the fourth was attached a trough for horses which jutted into the street. The highly ornamented trough was supported by two short pilasters decorated with acanthus. A horse head mascaron protruded above the trough to deliver water to thirsty horses. A panel beneath the spout was inscribed with the words “Humanity” and “Compassion”.

Pre 1908. Source: Fred Lauzus.

Pre 1908. Source: https://books.google.ca/books?redir_esc=y&id=WkOzk8TCOQIC&dq=Fireman%27s+Auditorium+in+Kennett+Square&q=fountain#v=snippet&q=fountain&f=false

A tall pedestal was decorated with floral design inlaid into panels on each side. A tin cup on a chain for use by humans was suspended on the side facing the Auditorium. It would appear from photographs that there is no spigot or basin visible for human use, which leads to the assumption that the drinking vessel was intended to be filled from the horse head spout. The acroter with chamfered edge terminated with an open vase/urn.

Pre 1924. Source:https://www.southernchestercountyweeklies.com/news/local/kennett-square-will-come-out-of-the-coronavirus-crisis-and-heres-why/article_c7aaef14-8efa-11ea-9829-976f43085ea0.html

The manufacturer is unknown although the structure contains features common to both J. W. Fiske & Company of New York City and J. L. Mott Iron Works Company of New York.

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
• Mascaron, a decorative element in the form of a sculpted face or head of a human being or an animal
• Naiad, a female water nymph who guarded fountains, wells, and other bodies of fresh water.
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue
• Pilaster, a column form that is only ornamental and not supporting a structure
• Spigot, a device that controls the flow of liquid