Description

WORCESTER

SO8454NW CRIPPLEGATE PARK
620-1/15/205 Fountain
05/04/71

II

Fountain. Dated 1858. Believed to be by Hardy and Padmore,
Iron founders of Worcester. Cast-iron on stone plinth; sunken
pool in rendered brickwork with stone coping, pool base of
off-white glazed bricks. Fountain has 2-stage hexagonal base,
each face of upper-section has moulded lion masks within
shallow elliptical recesses. Foliated urn above carries large
shallow bowl with water-lily motif decoration to underside,
periphery of bowl carries small lion masks with band of
bead-and-reel decoration below and egg-and-dart above; masks
conceal water jets. A similar but much smaller diameter bowl
above the first is carried on the tails of two intertwined
fish. 2 putti standing on a raised platform in the upper bowl
clasp the main single vertical jet of the fountain. Plaques on
base inscribed, "This fountain was presented to the City of
Worcester by Richard Padmore Esq. 1858." and "Re-erected in
this park 1924." Re-painted in 1990, the colour scheme of dark
green, cream and gold was based on a simple paint scrape
analysis. Circular pool has further plaque, "Cripplegate Park
opened by Samuel Southall, Mayor. 19th June 1922. Ald. J S
Crook, Chairman of General Progress Committee."
HISTORICAL NOTE: The iron foundry of Robert Hardy and Co. was
established in 1814, becoming Hardy and Padmore c1829 and
ceasing trading in 1968. Their products included engines,
stoves and ranges as well as more ornamental items. Fine
public examples of their work in the City include the
balustrade lanterns on Worcester Bridge (qv), Foregate Street
railway bridge parapet(qv), the Arboretum gates [now at the
Infirmary (qv)], and the former Market Hall clock [opposite
the Guildhall (qv)] as well as more mundane items such as lamp
pillars and brackets [examples in Britannia Square (qv)], park
benches, bollards, junction boxes and manhole covers. It is
thought that the fountain was originally located in the Market
Hall in the High Street. An almost identical fountain exists
in the garden of Queensberry House, Old Palace Lane,
Richmond-upon-Thames. A very similar, though more elaborate
fountain exists at the Château Impney near Droitwich, Worcs.
Messrs. Handyside and Co. of the Britannia Works in Derby
illustrate the same design of fountain in their catalogue. It
seems very unlikely that Richard Padmore would have presented
the City with a product from one of his company's competitors
but it raises questions as to the manufacturer of the
fountains at Droitwich and Richmond.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26669186

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

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)