Bonneville Spring

SU 94SW WITLEY C.P. MILFORD ROAD Elstead

3/273 Bonneville Spring 16/7/73 II

Folly building containing spring. 1843 by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin for the 5th Viscount Middleton in Gothic, C13 style. Brick with sandstone rubble and dressed stone arches containing coloured stone shafts. Sham ruined entrance wall with large arch to centre leading to vaulted main chamber and smaller spring chamber built into hillside. Stone arch under hood mould with 3 orders of keel and roll moulding on bell-capital shafts, one within the other, small window to right lighting spring chamber. Rib vaulted roof to main chamber with angled walls and stone bench seats. Coloured shafts to ribs and central crown boss. Small chamber to right, contains spring, down three steps, also rib vaulted. Niche over spring exit, the water falling into a rectangular basin with chamfered corners. Grotesque mask has water piped through mouth. The water then passes underground to appear in rock face lower down the hill- side with oval basins and rock "grotto" effect.

PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND, SURREY (1971) p.409.

Listing NGR: SU9389343213