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Fountain House, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen

A Category C Listed Building in Aberdeen, Aberdeen

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Coordinates

Latitude: 57.1214 / 57°7'16"N

Longitude: -2.1256 / 2°7'32"W

OS Eastings: 392494

OS Northings: 803387

OS Grid: NJ924033

Mapcode National: GBR S7K.R0

Mapcode Global: WH9QX.B82J

Plus Code: 9C9V4VCF+GQ

Entry Name: Fountain House, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen

Listing Name: Garthdee Road, Fountain House

Listing Date: 30 March 1994

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 356016

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB20834

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200356016

Location: Aberdeen

County: Aberdeen

Town: Aberdeen

Electoral Ward: Airyhall/Broomhill/Garthdee

Traditional County: Aberdeenshire

Tagged with: Well

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Description

Circa 1830. Circular-section fountain house. Grey granite ashlar with machicolated coping. Conical roof of graded grey slates with ball finial at apex. Timber door.

Statement of Interest

The fountain house at Garthdee is a good, well-detailed example of its building type. It formed part of the City's second water scheme, overseen by the City's Chief Architect at the time, John Smith. The scheme played a significant role in the expansion of Aberdeen westward between 1830 and 1866. Two 50hp steam engines pumped water at a rate of 1000 gallons a minute to the cistern at what is now 478-484 Union Street (see separate listing).

The system helped to ameliorate outbreaks of cholera in the 1830s and 1840s. It was superseded in 1862-6 by the gravitational system extracting from the Dee at Cairnton. The fountain house subsequently served Richard and Company, Bleachfield.

The fountain house was formerly situated 200 yards to the SE with a 200-yard tunnel filtering water from the River Dee. It was restored and relocated to its present position in the 1990s.

List description revised, 2011.

External Links

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