Spray fountain in Promenade Gardens

The Spray Fountain in Promenade Gardens is an ornamental fountain dating from around 1898, designed by Walter MacFarlane and Company of Saracen Foundry in Glasgow.

This three-tiered spray fountain is made of cast iron. The lower basin, shaped like an octofoil, is set into concrete and features an outer rim adorned with passion-flower rosettes. Inside the basin, there are four lily pads, each with jets, although one was broken as of 2019. The central cylindrical shaft is decorated with an ivy-leaf frieze at the top and features four reliefs depicting two alternating scenes: one shows a squirrel on an oak branch holding an acorn, accompanied by a bird and a dragonfly, while the other depicts a putto wearing a flower as a hat and sailing a boat made from a leaf.

Surrounding the shaft are four columns with octagonal bases and foliated shafts and capitals. The bases display the maker’s name, ‘W MACFARLANE & CO/ GLASGOW’, in relief. Above the shaft is a large circular bowl with a leafy outer rim, which has minor damage, and detailed bulrush and lotus leaves on the underside. Above this bowl, a slender central shaft is encircled by four pelicans with outstretched wings, with the fountain spouts represented as flowers at their feet. At the very top of the shaft sits a smaller leafy bowl, with a putto perched on a mushroom in the center, holding a small conical bowl on a stem aloft in his right hand, which contains a jet.