The Drinking Fountains of Mitcham

Location: Mitcham, South Australia

In 1882 there was a series of drinking fountains located along the pipeline between Mitcham and Adelaide.

Under the big oak tree near Brownhill Creek at White Bridge there is a cast-iron drinking fountain which was one of the original drinking fountains and part the Mitcham Water Works built in 1879. For 50 years water was provided from Ellison’s Gully through the valley using a piped-water network. A second fountain was adjacent to the Chapel footbridge where children attending the school used to drink.

The fountain was a tall slim pillar with a hexagonal cap. Water was accessed via a spigot between two rings.

A drinking fountain commemorating Charles Wright stands on Princes Road & Torrens Street at the Mitcham Village Institute. The fountain is a tall slim pillar with a hexagonal cap terminating in a cone shaped finial. A basin was located midway. The sculpture of the upper part of a mermaid with arms stretched back sits above the basin. Directly above the mermaid is a circular armoria with commemoration: This replica drinking fountain recognises the / outstanding contribution which / Charles F. Wright, A. M., / Past President and Paul Harris Fellow / of the Rotary club of Mitcham / has made to Australia, the State of South / Australia and the City of Mitcham / with special emphasis on our heritage. Charles made the pattern used for the casting of / this replica and two originals / which are located in Sutton Gardens / and the Mitcham Reserve. An annular trough at ground level captured overflow water for use by dogs.

Source: Flickr Creative Commons License, Mike Coghlan

Source: https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/community/display/118640-charles-wright

A similar fountain is located on the Albert Street side of Sutton Gardens, also with a hexagonal cap terminating in a cone shaped finial. The sculpture of the upper part of a mermaid with arms stretched back sits above a basin. Directly above the mermaid is a circular armoria identifying Rotary Club of Mitcham. An annular trough at ground level captured overflow water for use by dogs.

Source: Flickr Creative Commons License: Mike Coghlan

Source: Flickr Creative Commons License: Mike Coghlan

Glossary:

• Armoria, shield, coat of arms, crest
• Annular, ring-shaped
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure

James Beatton Memorial Fountain

Location: Port Augusta, SA, Australia

James Beatton, who marked 50 years as an officer of the State and Commonwealth, was Postmaster of Port Augusta for 24 years before retiring in 1904. A testimonial to this event was in the planning stages when he died in 1905. A decision to create a lasting tribute was agreed, and donations for a memorial drinking fountain were made by the public.

As a mark of esteem by the community, the memorial was erected at the wharf end of Commercial Road. Mayor T. Hewitson turned on the fountain and declared it open for public use on 6 July 1906. The fountain was relocated in the 1930s to Gladstone Square.

The structure is a casting by Stewart & Harley’s Sun Foundry of Adelaide. It originally stood on a rectangular plinth surrounded by a cement post fence.

The capitals of four decorated columns with square base, partly fluted shaft and palmette terminals unite with a corona of entwined palmette scrollwork. Central to the Gothic arches, a stanchion supports an ascending spike and orb finial and a descending inverted finial. The font is an octagonal pedestal with large decorated basin from the centre of which there was originally a column with a domed terminal supporting metal cups for drinking. This has since been replaced with a bubbler. A small basin for dogs is visible at ground level.

The font bears the inscription: Erected / To The Memory / Of / James Beatton / For 24 Years Postmaster / Of This Town/ Died November 25th, 1905.

The memorial fountain was recorded on the South Australia Heritage Register on 24 July 1980.

1907 dedication ceremony. Public Domain. Source: http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+72908

Commercial Road location. Public Domain. Source:http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/26500/B26367.htm

Public Domain. Source:http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+26921

Used with permission, Steve Swayne. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/maleny_steve/9187140431/in/photostream/

Used with permission, Steve Swayne. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/maleny_steve/9187140431/in/photostream/

Gladstone Square location

Glossary:

• Capital, the top of a column that supports the load bearing down on it
• Corona, Open framework in shape of a crown
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Fluted Shaft, a long rounded groove decorating the shaft of a column Palmette
• Gothic arch, a pointed arch
• Palmette, a decorative motif resembling the fan shaped leaves of a palm tree
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue
• Stanchion, upright bar or post providing support
• Terminal, statue or ornament that stands on a pedestal

John Miller Fountain

Location: 181 Unley Road , City of Unley Council, Unley, SA  5061

Town of Unley / Erected to the memory of / John Miller / Town Clerk from 1879 to 1903.

In 1904 the Unley Corporation agreed to erect a drinking fountain opposite the Town Hall to commemorate the late John Miller who was Town Clerk for 24 consecutive years and was instrumental in improving roads, drainage and lighting. The fountain was unveiled in 1909 by retiring Mayor J. H. Chinner.

It was originally erected at Oxford Terrace in 1909 over a fresh spring known to the Kaurna (a group of indigenous Australians.) With the advent of the motor vehicle, the fountain became an obstacle to traffic, and it was moved several times.

Cast by the J Martin Foundry at Thebarton, the cast iron structure was seated on a square plinth and consists of four Corinthian columns supporting a canopy. Lunettes above each of the four arches contain 8 roundels. An acroter holds a flat base upon which 12 pilasters support a pediment with finial. The font was a multi-tiered single pedestal with a basin and tin cups suspended by chains.

A plaque positioned between two roundels on the south facing arch contains a dedication: Town of Unley / Erected to the memory of / John Miller / Town Clerk from 1879 to 1903. The structure was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 26-Jun-1997.

Year 1907. Used with permission. Source: http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/CU676_DA_06DiscoverHistoricUnleyFINAL.pdf

Year 1907

Year 1950. Used with permission. Source: http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/CU676_DA_06DiscoverHistoricUnleyFINAL.pdf

Year 2013.

Creative Commons License, Daniel O’Connor. Source: Flickr

Year 2012. Source: http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/government—local/display/51832-john-miller

Glossary

• Acroter, flat base
• Column Corinthian, a fluted shaft with flowers and leaves at the capital.
• Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
• Lunette, the half-moon shaped space framed by an arch, often containing a window or painting
• Pediment, an element in architecture consisting of a gable placed above a horizontal structure supported by columns
• Pedestal, an architectural support for a column or statue
• Pilaster, a column form that is only ornamental and not supporting a structure
• Plinth, flat base usually projecting, upon which a pedestal, wall or column rests.
• Roundel, a small circular decorative plate