Hubert Fountain

The Hubert Fountain is a monumental fountain dating from around 1862, designed in the Ecole des Beaux Arts style. It was cast in France by the foundry of M. Barbezat and Co. at the Val d'Osne and was exhibited at the International Exhibition, also known as the Great London Exposition, in 1862. The fountain was installed in Victoria Park in July 1912, with the outer pool walls constructed at that time.

The fountain is made of painted cast iron and is set in a pool with concrete walls. It features a three-tier design with a circular base. The topmost finial rises from a vase, and the wide circular basin below is supported by four putti that represent different continents, standing on a moulded plinth adorned with ancient masks and decorative panels displaying the names of the continents. The plinth holds four flat circular bowls, which are supported by two seated atlantes and two seated caryatids, accompanied by cupids holding conches and cornucopia. Quadrant-shaped pierced bowls on either side shoot jets of water, while grotesque mask waterspouts under acroteria at the circular base eject water into the basin. The basin, made of concrete and dating from 1912, is circular in shape. A bronze plaque on the wall of the basin commemorates its presentation to the town of Ashford by Mr. Geo. Harper, who served as a member of the Urban District Council for 25 years and was chairman from 1907 to 1910. The plaque notes that the fountain was shown at the 1862 exhibition as the Hubert Fountain.