Location: Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales
This drinking fountain was installed in 1897 in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. It was originally located near the Astoria Cinema in Charles Street. During refurbishment of the cinema, the fountain was relocated and is currently set into a stone pedestal on the walkway to the Town Hall.
The font, casting number 17 (4ft 5 x 2ft 10) from Walter Macfarlane’s catalogue, was manufactured by the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, Scotland. The design utilizes features of the canopy used in drinking fountain number 8, and is surmounted by a palmette finial. Griffin terminals flank a highly decorated arch outlined with rope and drip fret detail which also encircles a medallion containing a dedication in bas-relief; Erected In The / Sixtieth Year / Of / H.M. / Queen Victoria’s / Reign / 1897. The recessed interior of the arch contains a shell lunette from which a tap once protruded. A single drinking cup on a chain was suspended above a fluted demi-lune basin.
Glossary
- Bas-relief, sculpted material that has been raised from the background to create a slight projection from the surface
- Demi-lune, half moon or crescent shape
- Finial, a sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure
- Griffin, winged lion denotes vigilance and strength, guards treasure and priceless possessions
- Lunette, the half-moon shaped space framed by an arch, often containing a window or painting
- Palmette, a decorative motif resembling the fan shaped leaves of a palm tree
- Terminal, statue or ornament that stands on a pedestal
Memorial Drinking Fountains 