Drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place is a Grade II listed building in the Reading local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 July 1973. Drinking fountain.

Drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place

WRENN ID
scarred-parapet-harvest
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Reading
Constituency
Reading Central MP: Matt Rodda (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
26 July 1973
Type
Drinking fountain
Address
Drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place, RG1 1DA
OS grid reference
SU 716 735
Coordinates
51.45629, -0.9696
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The drinking fountain, built in 1860, is located on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place. It was designed by architects William Ford Poulton and William Henry Woodman.

Constructed from limestone with granite piers, the fountain features a broad limestone base that is carved with two trefoil-arched dog drinking basins, which flank a miniature foliate column at the center. Atop this column is an irregular hexagonal drinking basin, which is surmounted by a large gothic gable adorned with crockets on both sides. The gable has foliate ornament beneath its east and west eaves, and a small crocketed finial or fleche at its peak. The end of the gable showcases a relief carving of a deer. Above the basin, there is a large trefoil arch with a projecting hood, supported by miniature granite columns with foliate capitals. Recessed within the arch is a decorative panel featuring lotus ornament.

Local climate

Drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 80% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 73% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 53% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 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.

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Church of St Laurence Grade I 22 m
  2. 27 and 28, Market Place Grade II 34 m
  3. The Coopers Public House Grade II 43 m
  4. Queen Victoria Jubilee Statue Grade II 50 m
  5. 32, Market Place Grade II 52 m
  6. St Laurence's Church and Churchyard Twelve Tombs in St Laurence's Churchyard Grade II 54 m
  7. Reading Town Hall Grade II* 65 m
  8. Corn Exchange Arcade Entrance Grade II 69 m
  9. The Simeon Monument Grade II* 75 m
  10. Tracery Fragments in the Churchyard of the Church of St Laurence Grade II 77 m