Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
Decorative Carving and Ornamental Details
Region ID | GW | |
Work ID | 158 | |
Manual Reference | WL/012/3 | |
Title | Decorative Carving and Ornamental Details | |
Sculptor | Mossman, John G | |
Carver | Young, James | |
Architect | Sellars, James | |
Foundry | Cruikshank & Co., Denny. | |
Date of design | 1871-72 | |
Year of unveiling | 1872 | |
Unveiling details | ||
Road | Park Grove Terrace | |
Precise Location | On Stewart Memorial Fountain, Kelvingrove Park, eastern section, north of Park Grove Terrace, | |
A to Z Ref | 34 J14 | |
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | G3 | |
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | I | |
Duty of Care | Glasgow City Council | |
Commissioned by | Competition organisers | |
Notes | ||
The carved and decorative work consists of heraldic beasts, coats of arms, flora, fauna, half-length female busts, and twelve polychrome ceramic roundels featuring the signs of the zodiac | ||
The fountain has been extensively and frequently vandalised throughout its lifetime with parts being broken off. The fountain was restored and the missing animals and birds replaced with copies in 1988 as part of a comprehensive restoration scheme by Page & Park and the Bridgegate Trust. These features have since been broken off. Some are kept in the Council stores in Kelvingrove Park. There were four bronze or cast iron putti on the drinking fountains around the outer basin which were removed for safe keeping after vandalism in 1939. Their whereabouts today is not known. These were of the same pattern as the putto on the Dr. John Aitken Memorial Fountain at Govan Cross (See MRN: G0/001) and the drinking fountain at the gates of Alexandra Park (See MRN: ?). It is uncertain whether these were originally modelled by Mossman or ordered from Cruikshank's trade catalogue. The square stone cap on the south east and west drinking fountains on the outer basin wall were broken off c.1998 and 1999 | ||
See WL/012/1 | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1872 | |
Condition | Poor | |
At risk | Immediate Risk | |
Inscriptions | In Roman lettering below | |
Signatures | In incised Roman lettering, on base of fountain, north side at right of bronze inscription panel: JAMES SELLARS / ARCHITECT | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
Sculpture | Dalmeny freestone | |
Zodiac roundels | Polychrome ceramic | |
Putti (Lost) | Cast iron or Bronze | |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Previous treatments | Fountain cleaned and restored |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
Replaced parts | Some water spout details replaced during retoration |
Broken, missing parts | Animals broken off, some missing, some in storage |
Armatures exposed | On outer basin wall, three drinking fountain caps removed exposing metal armatures |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
Structural damage | Parts broken off |
Graffiti | Inking on parts |