Drinking Fountain in Churchyard of St Pancras Church

A cast iron drinking fountain manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co. at the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, originally erected in St James’s Gardens between 1896 and 1914 and erected in its current location in 2021.

DESCRIPTION: a cast iron drinking fountain formed from two detachable pieces: a bowl and a pedestal. The two pieces are held together by a pair of modern M12 bolts. The pedestal takes the form of a Gothic compound pier comprising a cluster of four circular shafts each with spiral flutes and a bulbous torus, which stand on a moulded, octagonal plinth. The pedestal is topped with a moulded, circular capital that supports a wide, circular bowl that has ornate, floral mouldings to its rim. The bowl supports an ogive lantern superstructure formed by four moulded ribs with scrolled finials. Three of these ribs are original while the fourth is a modern replacement cast as part of the fountain’s restoration in 2019. Between each of the ribs, scrolled mouldings form a tympanum with ornate floral motifs and a roundel with a rose relief. Only one of these tympanums is original; the other three are 2019 replacements. At the top of the lantern there is a tiered finial with more floral decoration. An embossed maker’s mark on the lower part of the base reads: WALTER MACFARLANE & Co SARACEN FOUNDRY GLASGOW.