Summary

Drinking fountain and lamp standard, 1911, manufactured by George Wright Ltd of Rotherham.

Description

Drinking fountain and lamp standard, 1911, manufactured by George Wright Ltd of Rotherham.

MATERIALS: cast-iron.

DESCRIPTION: not inspected, information from other sources.

The ornate structure has a shaped, octagonal base with a maker’s name: GEO. WRIGHT LTD / BURTON WEIR / ROTHERHAM. At the front a narrow dog trough is set into the ground angled round the base. The main trough above is D-shaped with a rounded lip. Set in the centre of the trough is an octagonal column with a round-arched panel on each face. The front panel bears the words: CORONATION / OF / KING / GEORGE / V /22ND JUNE / 1911 / THIS / LAMP / & FOUNTAIN / WAS / ERECTED / BY / PUBLIC / SUBSCRIPTION. The column has an ogee top with alternate panels of fleur de lys motifs and rises as a lamp standard with decorative shell motifs and ladder bar (the lantern is missing).

History

The land for Coronation Park in Conisbrough was donated to the town by Mrs Godfrey Walker of Scarborough. It was officially opened on 22 June 1911 to commemorate the Coronation of George V. Public subscription raised money to erect a lamp and fountain at the southern entrance to the park at the junction of Castle Hill and Low Road. £150 was raised of which £30 was paid for the lamp and fountain and the remaining monies were spent on a Coronation tea for the residents. The combined drinking fountain, dog trough and lamp was unveiled by Mrs Walker.

The cast-iron structure was manufactured by George Wright Ltd of Burton Weir Works, Rotherham. The company was an established foundry in Rotherham with connections to the Lion Foundry in Kirkintilloch, Scotland. The trough was added to an existing design (number 27) originally owned by George Smith & Co of Sun Foundry, which was obtained by the Lion Foundry when the Lion Foundry closed in 1899.

Historic photographs show that the lamp had a large six-sided glass pane lantern capped with a ball and spike finial. Later, at an unknown date, the lantern was replaced by a smaller lantern raised on an extension of the original standard to bring it up to a similar height. This lantern and the standard extension are now missing.

Reasons for Listing

The Fountain and Lamp Standard at the southern entrance of Coronation Park, Conisbrough, of 1911 manufactured by George Wright Ltd of Rotherham, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* as an ornate, cast-iron fountain and lamp standard standing in a prominent entrance location and demonstrating a civic pride in the town’s new park;

* as a multi-functional structure useful to all, combining lighting and fresh water via a drinking fountain for humans and a water trough for dogs.

Historic interest:
* the fountain and lamp standard was paid for by public subscription and forms part of Coronation Park, donated to the town in 1911 to commemorate the Coronation of George V.

Group value:
* it has locational group value with the war memorial and set of stocks standing within Coronation Park, both listed Grade II, and is overlooked by the scheduled and Grade I listed Conisbrough Castle.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26444368

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

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)