Drinking Fountain by William Dyce

Drinking Fountain

William Dyce, RA (1806-64)

1862

Portland stone, red sandstone, tiling, and marble (for the basin)

Streatham Green, London SW16 1RD

William Dyce became a churchwarden at St Leonard's Church, Streatham, after moving to a house in Streatham High Road in 1856. He designed the new chancel for the church when it was extended in the early 1860s, superintending the work executed by Benjamin Ferrry (see Pointon 176). To show their gratitude, the parishioners put up the money to erect this highly distinctive drinking fountain, also to his design. Formerly sited just opposite the church, it is now on a small, pleasant green nearby — an oasis of peace just off the busy road. Like the church, it is Grade II listed. [continued below].

Photograph and text Jacqueline Banerjee, 2010/11

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Very much in the Gothic Revival style, as befits this context, the fountain is described in the listing text as having a "[s]teeply pitched gabled pediment flanked by gabled end piers" with "a band of five-petalled floral ornaments" in the moulding of the pediment, and a pattern made up of "a circle divided by four arcs, in the middle of which is an eight-petalled stylised flower inlaid with coloured hard-stone." The band under the circle carries, in relief, the words, "For I will pour water on him that is thirsty" in Gothic lettering. Beneath that is what the listing text describes as "a trefoil headed arch, the recess of which is inlaid with a green glazed tile mosaic, with a metal cross and water spout in the centre." Then there is the bowl with its scalloped base, and the panelled pedestal on its granite base, this part reminiscent of a baptismal font.

The back has the same banding, and the words, " ERECTED / BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION / A.D. 1862." This is followed by the name of the rector and the two churchwardens — one of whom is Dyce himself — a band of flowers beneath the pediment, and a stylised circular rose below that. The whole drinking fountain is quite striking, and serves as a memorial to its devout Anglo-Catholic designer. It is a noted piece of street furniture, used as an emblem of the Streatham Society, a local amenity group.

References

British Listed Buildings: Dyce Drinking Fountain, Streatham. Web. 6 Feb. 2011.

Pointon, Marica. William Dyce, 1806-1864: A Critical Biography. Oxford: Clarendon, 1979.

Last modified 6 February 2011