Triton And Dryads Fountain, Queen Marys Gardens

The Triton and Dryads Fountain is an ornamental fountain and basin located on a terrace in Queen Mary's Gardens, designed in 1936 by William Macmillan but not completed until 1950. It serves as the focal point of a north/south axial walk and was donated to the gardens by Sigismund Goetze. The fountain features a cast bronze statue of Triton sounding a conch shell, flanked by two nereids and interwoven fish, all situated in the center of a 45-foot diameter stone basin. The rim of the basin is inscribed with the words, "In memory of Sigismund Christian Hubert Goetze 1866-1939 Painter Lover of the Arts and Benefactor of this Park."

The pool and fountain were offered by Goetze during the redesign of the former Royal Botanic Society gardens, which was overseen by Duncan Campbell, the Superintendent of Regent's Park for the Ministry of Works. This redesign aimed to create new gardens, an open-air theatre, and a café, with the terrace layout developed by Goetze in collaboration with Campbell to replace a former conservatory. William Macmillan, a prominent sculptor, was recognized as the youngest sculptor ever elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy and later became a Senior Royal Academician. Due to the Second World War, the sculpture was not finished and unveiled until 1950, when it received a gold medal award for the best London sculpture exhibited that year. Goetze, who resided at Nuffield Lodge, commissioned and donated several features to Queen Mary's Gardens, a practice that his wife continued in other London parks after his passing through her Constance Fund.