Summary

An animal drinking trough, formerly part of a war memorial commemorating Captain Thomas Agar-Robartes; unveiled in 1922 and re-located to its current location in 1998.

Description

An animal drinking trough, formerly part of a war memorial commemorating Captain Thomas Agar-Robartes; unveiled in 1922 and re-sited to its current location in 1998.

DESCRIPTION: a granite animal drinking trough in the form of a classical sarcophagus, set on a chamfered plinth with canted corners. The body of the trough has incised scrollwork and carvings of lion heads in bas relief; the lip has a dentilled cornice. The trough stands on a raised surface of late-C20 granite setts. In front of the trough is a fixed bronze plaque which records that it formed part of the memorial to Captain the Hon. Agar-Robartes and was re-sited here in 1998; it also records the text from the plaque on the memorial bench with which it was formerly associated.

History

A memorial, in the form of this animal drinking trough and a bench, were unveiled in November 1922, to the memory of Captain Agar-Robartes who had been killed in battle in 1915.

Thomas Agar-Robartes was the eldest son of the 6th Viscount Clifden of Lanhydrock House, Bodmin. He became a Member of Parliament in 1906 when he was elected to serve the seat of Bodmin. In 1908 he was elected for St Austell, and he held that seat until his death in 1915.

Agar-Robartes was a captain in the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards and was injured in the Battle of Loos on the 18 September 1915. On the 30 September, he was killed while rescuing a wounded comrade. For this, he was recommended for the Victoria Cross.
The stone water trough and the bench were one of a number of memorials erected in his memory and were subscribed for by members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. These two structures were erected on the corner of Park Road and Truro Road, adjacent to the Recreation Ground and were unveiled in November 1922 by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall. The water trough originally stood on the paving in front of the bench, but was moved to its current location in front of the council offices on Penwinnick Road in 1998 due to concerns of damage owing to its proximity to the road. The bench was listed at Grade II in July 2017.

Reasons for Listing

The animal drinking trough outside the council offices on Penwinnick Road, St Austell, formerly part of a war memorial of 1922 and re-located to its current location in 1998, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a well-executed, urban example of this type of street furniture which has a distinctive design quality.

Historic interest:

* as an interesting reminder of the former presence of animals in everyday life, a presence which has now virtually disappeared;
* since it was originally part of a memorial to a Member of Parliament who died during the First World War, this commemorative purpose gives it added historic interest.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479775

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover