Drinking Fountain

Drinking Fountain
at Burslem

Location: Fountain Place (top of St. John's Square), Burslem
Installed: 1881-83
Commissioned by: Mayor James Maddock

the fountain located at the top of St. John's Square, Burslem

Bing Maps

The old drinking fountain, Burslem
sketch by: John Creber

A sketch of the fountain as it was in August 1984. It stood disused and dilapidated in the corner of a factory yard near the top of Newcastle Street for many years before being taken away for restoration and reinstallation at Fountain Place in 1990.

Fountain Place:

Fountain Place (at the top of St. John's Square) was not named after this ornamental fountain donated by Mayor James Maddock c.1881 - but after the water supply provided by the potter Enoch Wood c.1798

Until the end of the 18th century Burslem's water-supply depended entirely on springs - a sluggish & often polluted one near St. John's churchyard, and another more healthy but very small spring at the Grange Farm.
About 1798 Enoch Wood built a conduit head outside the entrance to his pottery works in what is still called Fountain Place and, pumping water to it by means of an engine in the works, provided a free public supply.
The conduit head was removed c. 1815.
From 1820 Burslem was supplied with water from John Smith's newly established water-works at Hanley.
By 1840 the Hill Top Pottery as well as the Fountain Place Works was raising its own water-supply, but large quantities were required by the industry and in dry weather the town was short of water.
In 1844 Burslem's supply was stated to come from springs, from Bycars Mill, and from the reservoir at the Hill Top Works.
The Potteries Water Works Company was formed in 1847 and began supplying the Burslem area in 1849.

'Burslem: Local government, economic history and social life',
A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8 (1963), pp. 125-142.

Inscription: On the edge of one of the new steps

ON 25th APRIL 1990 FRANCIS FITZHERBERT. THE LORD STAFFORD, FORMALLY MARKED THE RESTORATION TO THE SITE OF THE BURSLEM DRINKING FOUNTAIN
BY THE STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL AND THE BURSLEM PRESERVATION SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH STEPHEN BAMBURY OF CO-BAM Ltd.
THE ORIGINAL FOUNTAIN WAS PRESENTED BY JAMES MADDOCK.
A LOCAL POTTERY MANUFACTURER WHEN HE WAS MAYOR OF BURSLEM IN 1881 & 1883.

Description:
A traditional Victorian drinking fountain surmounted with a modern re-production of a gas lamp.
The lower section of the drinking fountain has two bowls, once supplied with water by two elephant heads, on the bowl-less sides are lion heads. Four slim pillars, with Corinthian capitals hold up a canopy which supports the lamp, two dolphins are entwined around the base of the lamp post. Beneath the canopy is an urn with a pair of snakes for handles.
As recorded in the inscription the fountain was renovated in 1990, the chosen colourings of the animals and urn are rather simplistic and garish.

two dolphins are entwined around the base of the lamp post.

The lower section of the drinking fountain has two bowls,
once supplied with water by two elephant heads.

The lower section of the drinking fountain
on the bowl-less sides are lion heads.

Materials:

Part of work	Material	Dimensions
Fountain	Cast Iron, painted black and various other colours	450cm high approx x 170cm wide x 103cm deep

A traditional Victorian drinking fountain surmounted with a modern re-production of a gas lamp.
Four slim pillars, with Corinthian capitals hold up a canopy which supports the lamp

Behind the fountain, to the left can be seen the National Westminster bank.
Directly behind the fountain are some flats and apartments which originally
formed part of Enoch Wood's very large Fountain Place Pottery Works, built in 1789.

Directly behind the fountain can be seen Lycett's Blinds Warehouse.
Originally this formed part of Enoch Wood's very large Fountain Place Pottery Works, built in 1789.