Drinking Fountain At North End Of Central Avenue Nz 3986 5666

The drinking fountain, located at the north end of Central Avenue in the north extension of Mowbray Park, was constructed in 1878. It features a founder's plate from Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd., Kilmarnock, and was created for the Order of Oddfellows in memory of William Hall, as a gift to the Corporation of Sunderland. Made of cast iron, the fountain is topped with a small domed canopy adorned with intricate foliage and supported by four columns with cusped arches. Each arch displays an escutcheon and motto. On the north and south sides, the inscriptions read "KEEP THE PAVEMENT DRY" and "NIL DESPERANDUM AUSPICE DEO 1878," which is the borough's motto, accompanied by symbols representing both the borough and the Oddfellows. The east and west sides feature the motto "AMICITIA AMOR ET VERITAS 1878," with the east side also stating, "IN MEMORY OF WM HALL PPGM OF THE SUNDERLAND DISTRICT INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS," and the west side noting, "PRESENTED TO THE CORPORATION OF SUNDERLAND BY THE ODDFELLOWS NU."