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Notes

Hexagonal shaped fountain. Square pier with moulded cap and base at each of the six angles. Sides of basin are moulded. Second basin stands on 6 triple shafts of red granite, with carved capitals supporting the overhanging corbelling of the bottom of the basin. Round this a moulded band carries inscription in raised letters. Above inscription faces of basin are worked with moulded and traceried panels, 2 of the sides being raised int eh centre with larger panels. On the town hall side these panels contain arms and motto of city, on other one the arms of Duchy of Lancaster.

The provision of both drinking and ornamental fountains became more popular in Manchester in the 1890s. James Jardine, a Manchester cotton manufacturer, left money for the erection of two fountains. Albert Square was considered as a possible site for one of the fountains, replacing an existing one installed to mark the arrival of water from the Thirlmere reservoir in the Lake District. In the end the two fountains were installed: one at All Saints, Oxford Road and the other outside Jardine's cotton mill in Butler Street, Ancoats. A substantial drinking fountain was also raised at the entrance to Peel Park to mark its golden jubilee in 1896. The question of erecting a permanent fountain in Albert Square took a decisive turn when in the summer of 1896 the council were informed by the Manchester architects, Thomas Worthington and Sons, that an anonymous donor wished to present the city with a large ornamental fountain to stand in the square. Worthingtons were responsible for the design, a three basin fountain in granite and sandstone. A bronze dolphin, modelled by John Cassidy, decorated the top of the fountain. The council accepted the gift and agreed that the fountain would be placed between the statues of John Bright and Bishop Fraser. Construction went ahead under the supervision of Thomas Worthington and Sons, with most of the work being carried out by J. and H. Patteson. The fountain was turned on by the Lord Mayor, Robert Gibson, in January 1898. Its cost was estimated at between £1,000 and £1,200. Not everyone regarded the fountain as an improvement to the square. To some it was one memorial too many whilst for others the unpredictability of the local wind meant a sudden soaking. One Edwardian correspondent called for this 'useless and irritating object' to be moved to a more suitable open space in the city. For a time it was left "dry." The fountain was eventually moved in the 1920s to Heaton Park. In 1986 plans were announced to restore the fountain and return it to the city centre to be the focal point of a new open space in front of the Corn Exchange. This plan was not realised. However the fountain was returned to the city centre in 1997 when it was placed once more between the statues of Bright and Fraser in Albert Square. The restored fountain, which included a sophisticated system for regulating the flow of water, was switched on by the deputy prime minister, John Prescott. [ Moved back to Albert Square and reopened 22 July 1997. £250, 000 cost funded by city council, North West Water and European Union.]

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1897.

circa

raw year

Condition

At risk

Inscriptions

Signatures

Dolphin

Bronze

75cm high

Main bowl

Red granite

600cm across approx

Upper bowl

Sandstone

350cm across approx

Biological growth

Growth/staining on upper bowl; algae on underside of lower bowl

None

None