Mermaid Basin at west side of South Parterre is a Grade II listed building in the Central Bedfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 10 January 1985. Fountain.
Mermaid Basin at west side of South Parterre
- WRENN ID
- dusted-rotunda-auburn
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire MP: Blake Stephenson (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 10 January 1985
- Type
- Fountain
- Address
- Mermaid Basin at west side of South Parterre, Wrest Park, Silsoe
- OS grid reference
- TL 090 355
- Coordinates
- 52.00749, -0.41287
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Mermaid Basin is a 19th-century Italian fountain base made of Italian veined white Carrara marble, standing approximately 1.5 metres high. It features four seated mermaids or nereids, each with double tails curled around the sides of the base. The figures are arranged back to back against a central pier adorned with stylised rockwork. The entire structure rests on a square stone base. Above the mermaids is a separate moulded socle that has been hollowed out. Each mermaid raises one hand as if to support a large fountain bowl, which is currently missing. The sculpture is situated in the western part of the South Parterre.
Local climate
Mermaid Basin at west side of South Parterre sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 710 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 87% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 83% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 33 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 53% 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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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
- 1 Fountain in the Italian Garden
- 2 Northcliffe School Fountain 100 Metres South East of South East Front of Grove Place House
- 3 Fountain in Italian Garden About 50 Metres North East of Moor Park
- 4 Fountain Below and to North East of Upper Water
- 5 Fountain to north of St Fagans Castle in the Dutch Garden
this building 1 similar nearby listed buildings
Nearby listed buildings
- Italian Garden Structures including Statue of Ceres, Curb Stones, Entrance Piers, Gatepiers and Gates
- 2 Roman baths immediately in front of the terrace of Wrest Park House (to East and West)
- Four Statuary Groups in the South Parterre (also known as the French Garden) south of Wrest House, depicting Aeneas and Anchises, the Abduction of Helen of Troy, Venus and Adonis and Meleager and Atalanta
- Wrest Park House and service block comprising pavilions, clock tower and the dairy
- Railings, gates, piers and urns to south side of South Parterre (also known as the French Garden)
- Walled Garden immediately West of Wrest Park House, including Linking Screen Wall
- Le Petit Trianon (also known as The Wendy House)
- Former Brewhouse, Link Block, Pump House and Fire Engine House Range in the Service Yard at Wrest Park House
- Orangery, Steps and Four Cherub Statues on Pedestals
- Bath House and Cascade