Drinking Fountain in Churchyard of St Pancras Church

The drinking fountain in the churchyard of St Pancras Church is a cast iron structure made by Walter Macfarlane & Co. at the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow. It was originally installed in St James’s Gardens between 1896 and 1914 and moved to its current location in 2021.

The fountain consists of two detachable pieces: a bowl and a pedestal, which are secured together by a pair of modern M12 bolts. The pedestal is designed as a Gothic compound pier, featuring a cluster of four circular shafts with spiral flutes and a bulbous torus, all resting on a moulded, octagonal plinth. At the top, the pedestal has a moulded, circular capital that supports a wide, circular bowl adorned with ornate floral mouldings along its rim.

Above the bowl is an ogive lantern superstructure made up of four moulded ribs with scrolled finials. Three of these ribs are original, while the fourth was replaced during the fountain's restoration in 2019. Between the ribs, scrolled mouldings create tympanums with intricate floral motifs and roundels featuring rose reliefs. Only one tympanum is original; the other three were also replaced in 2019. At the top of the lantern, there is a tiered finial embellished with additional floral decoration. An embossed maker’s mark on the lower part of the base reads: WALTER MACFARLANE & Co SARACEN FOUNDRY GLASGOW.