Gothic Drinking Fountain On North West Corner

This is a Gothic drinking fountain located on the north-west corner of Lincoln's Inn Fields, built in 1861 and restored around 1992. The fountain is made of stone and features a rectangular gabled two-stage slab with a semicircular basin on a half pedestal, which is flanked by block steps leading to a plinth. The second stage, which includes the spout, is adorned with carved Celtic crosses arranged in a rectangular pattern on all sides. The gables are decorated with ball-flower cornices and have a central, cusped gable that is inscribed with the phrase "The Fear of the Lord is a Fountain of Life." At the top, there is a restored stone finial that consists of a pierced roundel with three swirling mouchettes.

Historically, the donor of the fountain is unknown, but a letter presented at an 1860 meeting of the District Board of Works indicated that a lady living nearby wished to fund the fountain in Lincoln's Inn Fields due to concerns about the pollution of local wells with sewage. This fountain represents an early effort to provide clean public drinking water during a time when the need for such facilities was becoming increasingly recognized, coinciding with the restoration and renovation of Lincoln's Inn Fields.