Carnwell Fountain

WALCOT STREET 656-1/31/1812 (West side) Carnwell Fountain 07.05.2002

GV II

Trough and drinking fountain. 1860 by Major Charles Davis (c1826-1902). Medley of building stones, including grey and pink sandstone, white marble, polished pink and grey granite. Arched recess to right over fountain, with low trough in front; rectangular continuation to left with drinking fountain and basin. Romanesque arch to right of two receding orders, with weathered Lombardic decoration, carried on colonnettes with floral capitals of marble. Continuous impost band of red sandstone. Depressed arch over former fountain with voussoirs of alternating varieties of sandstone; projecting moulded trough of grey sandstone. To left, drinking fountain with basin of pink granite, step between colonnettes of pink granite with marble capitals. Openings set between ashlar blocks of pink/grey sandstone. Above fountain is a badly weathered inscription panel: legible sections indicate that this once read Jesus said: whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst again' (John IV, 13-14). HISTORY: This fountain was erected close to the site of the earlier Carnwell conduit, described in John Wood'sA description of Bath' p.272. It is set into the rear retaining wall of the rear gardens of Bladud's Buildings above, and was located close to the Bath Cattle Market. It is an early example of a free public drinking fountain, and stylistically owes much to the design of the first such fountain unveiled at St Sepulchre's, Snow Hill, City of London in 1859. Davis, the City architect, was also influenced by John Ruskin's depictions of Venetian medieval architecture. The fountain displays a wide range of different stones, indicative of the High Victorian taste for architectural polychromy, and interest in geology. Fountain in poor condition and disused at time of inspection (2002), and trough filled with earth. SOURCES: Attribution to Davis based on his obituary in The Builder, 17 May 1902. Illustrated in R.E.M. Peach, `Rambles about Bath' (1876).

Listing NGR: ST7506065282