A restored relic becomes the fountain of life

Charles Dickens once observed that “300,000 people take advantage of the fountains on a summer’s day”

By Prasun Sonwalkar

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Published: Mon 13 Mar 2023, 11:08 PM

Last updated: Tue 14 Mar 2023, 12:18 PM

It is often that freely available local newspapers carry the most interesting news. I picked up one during a visit to Putney last week, and learnt of news from nearby Wimbledon: a 19th-century water fountain that fell into disuse and worse years ago had been carefully restored, drinking water flowing out — much to the delight of local children, who cut the ribbon. Called the Toynbee Fountain, the Gothic monument located in a prominent crossroads commemorates Joseph Toynbee (1815- 1866), Victorian aural surgeon and philanthropist.

Like much else about London and Britain, the history of the water fountain and the man behind it is well recorded. It was one of the over 1,000 fountains across the capital, built mainly during the Victorian era; they were beautiful monuments, many with inspirational stories about people who simply wanted to provide fresh water for the public good. At its peak, thousands of people used them every day and Charles Dickens once observed that “300,000 people take advantage of the fountains on a summer’s day”.


Many fountains were switched off in the 1960s and 1970s, falling victim to vandalism and neglect. Barely 20 per cent of them survive today — and of them only a few work. Some dedicated campaigners and charity groups have been working to restore such local history, particularly the Heritage of London Trust and the Drinking Foundation Association that is keen to bring back vitality to public spaces, offer an environmentally friendly public resource, educate and inspire children, and create a sense of local pride.

Historical accounts say that Toynbee rose to lead the first ear and throat (ENT) department at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington (during which time he was responsible for syringing Queen Victoria’s ears). One of the first fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons, he moved to Wimbledon in 1854 and became interested in the local history of the area. The fountain was erected in 1868.


Before restoration, the fountain was leaning towards the street, not working. There was evidence of surface erosion throughout. The original bronze taps, cup fixing bolts and drainage covers remain in place, although the push button mechanism was missing on two of the three taps. The dog bowl had sunk to level with the ground and was filled with debris. Restoration took place in 2022, involving cleaning, poulticing, then a complete dismantling of the fountain and preparation off site, removal of old plumbing, creation of a new concrete foundation, return and re-erection of the fountain, new clean water pipes and new taps.

Restoring the fountain has not only revived local history, but also helped put new focus on the need to cut use of water plastic bottles, many ending up in the Thames, clogging waterways and outlets. The average London adult is estimated to buy more than three plastic bottles every week — or 175 bottles every year. In total, some 7.7 billion plastic bottles are bought across the UK each year, resulting in substantial amounts of single-use plastic waste. There are new official initiatives to cut single-use plastic, but the sale of water plastic bottles continues to be brisk, even as mountains of plastic waste take 20 to 500 years to decompose. Campaigners estimate that if one in 10 people refilled water just once a week, it would save 340 million plastic bottles a year. The London mayor has overseen a network of water refill stations across the capital. There is already evidence of a new disease — plasticosis — affecting seabirds, while plastic is also estimated to be increasingly present in the human food chain.

Also restored some days ago was one of the last fragments of the historic Jewish East End: a Victorian memorial to a significant figure in women’s emancipation in the 19th century — Leonard Montefiore — has been restored and brought to life as a working drinking fountain. Erected in 1884, it had fallen into neglect. Born in 1853, Montefiore died young, aged 26; his friends included playwright Oscar Wilde and historian Arnold Toynbee. He was a fierce and vocal advocate of women’s suffrage.

Restoring the two fountains also reminded me of the less known history of how some subjects in the former British Empire donated funds to erect water fountains and dig at least one well in Britain, particularly in areas that witnessed drought in the 19th century.

It was the Maharaja of Benares, Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh (1822-1889), who paid for a well to be dug in the Chiltern Hills, now called the ‘Maharaja’s Well’, located in the village of Stoke Row. Conditions there in the 19th century were dire: there was no piped water, villagers either drew water from ponds with potential health hazards, or transported water by cart from another polluted source, the Thames, to avoid dying of thirst during periods of drought.

Work on the well began in March 1863, completed in 1864, and in 1865 it was covered with a grand canopy whose unique Anglo-Indian architecture was based on a pavilion at the Maharaja’s palace at Ramnagar. It continues to be cherished in the village that has a street named Benares Grove. During Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Benares in 1961, she was presented a marble model of the well, and Prince Philip visited the well in its centenary year of 1964, when water brought from the Ganga in Benares was ceremoniously mixed in the well.

Ornately decorated with Indian motifs, the Maharaja’s Well set a trend of wealthy Indians gifting water fountains in Britain, two of them in London: one in Hyde Park (by Mirza Vijiaram Gajapati Raj Manea of Vijianagram in 1867) and another in Regent’s Park (by Cowasjee Jehangir in 1869), and in Ipsden in Oxfordshire (by ‘Rajah Sir Deo Narayun Singh of Seidpor Bittree’ in 1865). The fountain in Regent’s Park continues to quench thirsts, while the one in Hyde Park was removed in 1964.

Restoring water fountains could help deal with the scourge of plastic pollution, but — given the scale of the horrors of such pollution — it will need many more such initiatives across the globe to make a difference on the ground. Many hope the two fountains restored last week will help focus more funds and attention to revive the large number of derelict fountains, at least in London.

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