The Lost Drinking Fountain of Llanelly
A copperplate etching of the Athenaeum Square of Llanelly in 1865 shows an ornate drinking water fountain standing like a sentry in the middle of the thoroughfare. The fountain doubled up as a street light - crowning its top was a gaslit lamp.
The etching shows the square with the Athenaeum and its original portico adjacent to the Salutation Inn. On the opposite side of Church Street and on the corner of Hall Street, Samuel Bevan, the ironmongers’ shop, can be seen and in the distance, the Cambrian Leadworks stack stands like an obelisk down at Seaside.
The Llanelly Guardian of 6th June 1863, published the following letter from a member of the public...
"Permit me through the medium of your welcomed paper to remind the Board of Health that this is the time in which a Public Fountain would be a boon of great value. How refreshing would a draught of sparkling water be from our fountain on these oppressively hot and dusty days.
"Yours obediently,
A Thirsty Pilgrim"
At a subsequent meeting of the Board of Health, held on 30th September 1863, it was resolved to erect a public fountain. There was some discussion in the meeting about its location, several members of the board suggesting the Thomas Arms, the Church, the New Market or the Athenaeum Square. Finally, however it was resolved to erect it by the Athenaeum ….
"The surveyor received directions to erect it in the Athenaeum Square in a temporary manner for the inspection of the members of the board, at an extra cost not exceeding 20s. The extra cost was included in the eventuality of the site being unsuitable and that it had to be relocated." [1]
There were some misgivings expressed at the following Board Meeting in January 1864, when member, D. Morris enquired when the monument would be "rendered useful?" Evidently it had not served the purpose for which it was envisaged i.e. lighting the highway or providing drinking water. While another member, Mr. Ben. Jones said "…that the present position was an encroachment on the highway and as such the surveyor that put it there should be indicted." [2]
The project did however go ahead and in the following September the Llanelly Guardian reported that John Arthur Davies, a local painter, had neatly decorated and painted the fountain which, along with the improvements made at Mr. Bevan’s premises, materially improved the aspect of the locality. The fountain was suitably inscribed:
Erected by The Local Board in commemoration of the marriage of The Prince of Wales and The Princess Alexander of Denmark in March 10 1863. [3]
And there the drinking fountain remained until 1880, where it can be seen delineated on the Ordnance Survey map of that year, but by 1907 it was removed to a place opposite the Town Hall, probably because of increased traffic using the Athenaeum Square. [4]
In the years following the Great War there was a call to install a memorial in the town to commemorate all those from Llanelly who had made the ultimate sacrifice in that war and in 1923 the Committee of Subscribers to the War Memorial decided to invite the eminent sculptor, Sir Goscombe John to undertake the task of providing the town with a cenotaph. It was decided to consult Sir Goscombe on the best place to site the important sculpture, upon which he advised that "the memorial should be erected right opposite the Town Hall where the fountain now stands".[5]
The committee unanimously accepted his recommendation. The cenotaph was installed, and subsequently unveiled on 27th October 1923 [6] A new home now had to be found for the old fountain.
Three years later at a meeting of the Llanelly Borough Estates Committee there was some discussion about its relocation, whereupon the Town Surveyor, George Watkeys said that the Park Howard Committee were prepared to find a site near the playing grounds, where it would be of use to the children playing in the park. The Deputy Surveyor added that "... it is the form of structure that would lend itself to be erected in Parc Howard" and so it was decided to have the fountain placed there. [7]
The last reported location of the fountain was at Parc Howard in1960. [8]
Notes & Citations
"Board of Health" ~ as the local government was then known
[1] Llanelly & County Guardian 3 Sept 1863 & Welshman 4 Sept 1863.
[2] Llanelly & County Guardian 7 January 1864.
[3] Llanelly & County Guardian 22 Sept 1864 & Llanelly Star 13 Feb 1960.
[4] Ordnance Survey map 1907 Second Edition.
[5] South Wales Press 13 June 1923 p5 & Llanelli Library LC878.
[6] Llanelly Mercury 25 Oct 1923 p5.
[7] Llanelly & County Guardian 1 July 1926 & South Wales Press 30 June 1926.
[8] Llanelly Star 13 February 1960.
Memories of local residents
We are grateful to Mr Gethen Derrick of Llanelli, for bringing the Copperplate etching of the fountain to our attention.
LCH0394