Drinking Fountain is a Grade II listed building in the Newcastle upon Tyne local planning authority area, England. First listed on 17 December 1971. Drinking fountain.

Drinking Fountain

WRENN ID
outer-hearth-blackthorn
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West MP: Dame Chi Onwurah (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
17 December 1971
Type
Drinking fountain
Address
Drinking Fountain, Bigg Market
OS grid reference
NZ 247 641
Coordinates
54.97141, -1.6147
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

This drinking fountain, dated 1894, was originally located in St. Nicholas Square and was moved to its current position in the early 20th century. It was erected by the Band of Hope Union in memory of J. H. Rutherford. The fountain features sandstone steps and is made of red sandstone with a pink granite basin. It has an octagonal shape and is designed in the Renaissance style. The panelled plinth supports a nosed octagonal basin, which is elevated by a moulded, fluted pedestal leading to a tall central column. Although the taps and fittings have been removed, there are pedimented panels with an inscription on the entablature. The inscriptions "JHR" and "WATER IS BEST" are displayed on shields within the panels.

Local climate

Drinking Fountain receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 57% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 94% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 27 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 70% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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