Summary

First World War memorial drinking fountain, pre-1936.

Description

First World War memorial drinking fountain, pre-1936.

MATERIALS: limestone

DESCRIPTION: the Mercantile Marine war memorial drinking fountain is located at the junction of Osmaston Road and Prenton Lane and is set upon a circular area of flag paving. The fountain is constructed of four blocks of stone consisting of a shaped plinth, which acts as a step up to the front south face, and three large square blocks above with carved rope moulding detail to the four corners. The fountain bowl is located to the front south face and is modelled on a ship’s prow with a clinker-built hull, prominent keel and a stylised ram’s prow with volute scrolling. A rough, squared patch of stone where the fountain’s faucet would have sat is set above the bowl, while an incised cutting and rough semicircle beneath the bowl mark the former drain. The fountain’s north face bears the inscription IN RECOGNITION/ OF THE/ GALLANT SERVICES/ RENDERED BY THE/ MERCANTILE MARINE/ DURING THE/ GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919 with a carved roundel above depicting an alisee patee cross.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 18 August 2021 correct wording in description.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

Prenton's Mercantile Marine war memorial was erected pre-1936 and was designed with a dual function as a public drinking fountain, although the fountain's mechanism has since been removed.

Reasons for Listing

Mercantile Marine memorial and former drinking fountain, erected pre-1936, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* originally designed with a dual function as a public drinking fountain, the memorial's prow-like bowl makes symbolic reference to the maritime background of the honorands.

Group value:

* for its strong visual relationship with Prenton War Memorial, which is also listed at Grade II.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66479287

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

• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)