Fountain, Junction of Main Street and B822, Fintry

Fountain, Junction of Main Street and B822, Fintry

A cast iron fountain dated 1902 and manufactured by Walter Macfarlane and Company of Saracen Foundry. The fountain commemorates the coronation of King Edward VII and stands prominently at the road junction in the centre of the village.

The fountain is a four-sided design sitting on a two-tiered hexagonal base plinth edged with stone copes. The base is a pedestal with four decorative legs featuring lion heads and paws. These support rounded quatrefoil fountain basins decorated with foliate and floral relief, which in turn support a splayed pedestal decorated with foliage and herons. On this pedestal are four small brackets designed to hold drinking cups on chains and a column with decorative ladder support brackets. A mid-20th century four-sided glass lantern crowns the top.

A plaque on the north side reads 'Erected by Walter Menzies of Culcreuch in commemoration of the coronation of Edward VII in June 1902'. The fountain is no longer in use as a water fountain as of 2019.

Historical Development

The fountain first appears on the 2nd revision Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1914, published 1918). It was installed at a prominent position where the two main roads of the village meet and now stands at the centre of the Fintry Conservation Area.

In the mid-19th century, clean drinking water was scarce in towns and cities, and diphtheria and cholera were widespread. Public drinking fountains with piped water were first introduced in Liverpool and then in London in 1859 by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association, subsequently spreading to other cities and towns. The temperance movement, which sought to reduce alcohol consumption, increased donations for public fountains. Until the early 20th century, rural transport relied on horses, and fountains were designed to provide them with water.

In June 1902, the Kirkintolloch Herald recorded that Stirling County Council approved a request from Walter Menzies of nearby Culcreuch House to grant a site for a fountain. On 6 August 1902, the same paper noted that the fountain had been erected to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. It recorded that the lamp at the top was lit by electricity supplied from a dynamo at the local mill. Local contractors William Wilson and Mr Paton are credited with the masonry and plumbing for the installation.

The fountain casting was designed in 1883 and appears in the Macfarlane and Son 6th edition catalogue (page 411, pattern number 18). The standard design included taps activated by pushing drinking cups against a small lever, as well as water troughs for horses. It is not known whether the drinking cups shown in the catalogue were part of this fountain's design.

A photograph from the early 20th century shows the fountain in its current setting in Fintry. The current glass lantern is a later replacement dating from the mid-20th century, as it has a different profile from that shown in the photograph.

The fountain was damaged by a car in 1986 and briefly moved to a garden beside the road. It was reinstated on its original coped plinth after a short time, and its position and detailing remain almost the same as in 1902. The former electricity and water supplies to the fountain do not currently function as of 2019.