Fountains Advice Note

8/17/2019 Fountains Advice Note

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Fountains in theCity of London

The Corporation has a long tradition of providing, maintaining and encouragingpublicly accessible fountains, statues and

memorials. Today, more than ever, theimportance of "Public Art" is recognisedin terms of its contribution to theenhancement of the City's

townsc pe

andas a valuable source of enjoyment for allthose who live or work in, or visit theCity. The part played by City companiesin funding or donating fountains and waterfeatures, or by providing them in privatedevelopments, is recognised as beingimportant to the enhancement of the Cityof London.

As a local authority, the Corporation isconscious of its role and responsibility in

encouraging the provision of fountains bydevelopers and owners, and welcomesproposals for fountains which areappropriate to their location and, thereby,enhance the public realm.

Public Art

This leaflet is the second in a series of publications on statues, fountains,sculptural decoration and other forms of public art in the City of London, and isbased on a recent audit of fountains in theCity. This survey not only included

fountains, but also pools, cascades, water jets and water sculptures . Only thosefountains which are outside and areplainly visible from the public domainare included.

The many fountains in the City of Londondemonstrate a variety of styles, scale andwealth of invention and materials which

Barb ican Cen t re 2. Barbican Cen tre

4. B arb ican , B eech G a rd ens 5. B arb ican , Ben Jo hn s on P lace . 6. Barbican, Ben Johns on Place


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7. Festival Gardens 8. ailers Hall Gardens 9. Salters Hall Gardens

10. S alters Hall Gardens

George Yard

are evidence of the creativity anddiversity of the artists and designersrepresented. This abundance of qualityand imagination is not onlyof great valuein itself, but also complements the City'sbuildings and public spaces, making animportant contribution to the appearanceand visual character of the City.

Fountains are an important sensorydiversion in the urban scene of the City.Whether a municipal drinking fountain ora monumental water feature, they providea rich diversity of sculptural form,movement and sound. The movementprovided by the water of a fountain isprobably its most fascinating element.Still water seems lifeless, but when given

motion, either by spurting, spraying,spouting, undulating or tumbling, itbecomes full of li fe and vitality. Of itself colourless, water can direct and refractlight rays, and when it is in the form of a


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fine mist, it can disperse all the colours of the spectrum. The sound of a fountain isalso one of its most essential and mostoverlooked attractions. Whether the wateris crashing, whooshing, gurgling or gentlylapping, sound is an integral part of a

fountain's aesthetic appeal. This canimprove significantly the quality of aspace, not only by adding the sound of water, but also by blocking out the lessattractive sounds of the City.

The Corporation is keen to encourage theprovision of water features in newdevelopments, particularly where they canbe enjoyed by the general public. This leaflet aims to draw attention to theseby illustrating those which are publiclyaccessible.

Corporation Policies The Unitary Development Plan states that"The Corporation is aware of the Percentfor A rt initiative promoted by the ArtsCouncil and welcomes its aim to achievea greater contribution to the arts.

The Corporation will also encourage theprovision of new works of art as part of development schemes, taking into accountthe contribution made by any such worksto the appearance of the scheme and theamenities of the area. The Corporationwill encourage the introduction of works

of art at an early stage to ensure that theyare integrated into the overall concept of the design."1

12. Cheapside

13. Golden Lane Estate 14. Bread Street


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15. Cutlers Gardens 16. Cutlers Gardens 17. Cutlers Gardens

18. Cutlers Gardens 19. St. Bartholomews Hospital

20. Gresham Street 21. Whittington Garden 22.11-12 St. Swithins ane


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Water Features, Drinking Fountain

WATER FEATURES

1. Barbican Centre, lakeside terrace2. Barbican Centre, waterfall from half pipe3. Barbican Centre, fountains in the lake4. Barbican, Beech Gardens5. Barbican, Ben J onson Place (dolphins)6. Barbican, Ben J onson Place North7. Festival Gardens8. Salters Hall Garden9. Salters Hall Garden10. Salters Hall Garden11. George Yard, off Gracechurch Street

12. he psiode13. Golden Lane Estate14. Bread Street15. Cutlers Gardens16. Cutlers Gardens17. Cutlers Gardens18. Cutlers Gardens19. St. Bartholomews Hospital20. Gresham Street, public garden21. Whittington Garden, Upper Thames Street22. 11-12 St. SwithinsLane23. Inner Temple Garden24. Middle Temple, Fountain Court25. Three Nun Court, off Aldermanbury

26. St. Botolphs Without, Bishopsgate27. Staple Inn, Holborn28. Serjeant s Inn, Old Mitre Court29. Broadgate, Finsbury Avenue30. Broadgate, Finsbury Square31. Broadgate, Exchange Place32. Aldermanbury Square33. Dorset Rise (George and the Dragon)34. Gresham Street, St. Lawrence J ewry35. Drapers Gardens36. St. Dunstan in the East37. Adams Court, off Old Broad Street38. Postman's Park39. Britannic Tower Plaza

DRINKING FOUNTAINS AND PUMPS

(NB many of these will be ornamental ratherthan operational, due to current watercompany regulations)

40. West Smithfield Gardens41. Finsbury Circus, (Merry England)42. Royal Exchange

43. Postman s Park44. Aldgate Pump, Leadenhall & Fenchurch St.45. Aldermanbury46. Blackfriars Bridge, outside of Bridge House47. Royal Exchange, Cornhill48. Cousin Lane49. Finsbury Circus, near bandstand

50. New Bridge Street51. One Tree Park52. Royal Exchange Buildings

53. St. Botolph s Without, Bishopsgate54. St. Botolph s, Aldgate55. St. Pauls Alley56. St. Dunstan in the West57. St. Pauls Churchyard58. St. Sepulchres Church59. West Smithfield Gardens, near entrance60. Billingsgate, Lower Thames Street


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& Pumps in the City of London


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Unitary DevelopmentPlan Policies

REC 10 To encourage the retention of existing art,cultural andentertainment facilities and

normally to require theirreplacement onredevelopment.

REC 11 To promote art and culturaland entertainment facilitiesand to encourage furtherprovision by otherorg nis tions

ENV 13 To encourage the provision of works of art which enhancethe City townscape.

23. Inner Temple Gardens

25. Three Nun C ourt

The text supporting policy ENV 3 in theUnitary Development Plan states that"The Corporation considers that art can

contribute significantly to the quality of the environment. It will thereforeencourage the incorporation of art and artworks into the urban scene, in appropriatelocations. To this end it is important thatthe integration of art and art works intodevelopments and the local environmentis considered at an early stage in theirdesign."

24. Middle Temple, Fountain C ourt

26. S t. Botolphs W ithout

27. Staple Inn, Holborn


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28. S erjeant s Inn 29. Broadgate, Finsbury Avenue 30. Broadgate, Finsbury Square

Fountains and their Settings

The variety of fountains and water featuresin the City is a testament to the work of private companies, the Corporation andindividuals, who, throughout the years,have provided these works for theenhancement of the City and theenjoyment of others.

In the provision of water pumps and water

features, the Corporation continues torecognise a responsibility which datesback to the earliest provision of waterworks by the first Roman authority. Forthese earliest citizens, clean water andbathing were not only central to their wellbeing, but also to the spiritual and culturallife of the community. Fountains and waterfeatures still play their part in the City'ssocial and cultural activity, and continueto be important focal points andgathering places in cities throughout themodern world.

This continuous provision has produced a

variety of water related features which areevidence of the successive improvement of the urban environment and the aestheticconsiderations of the time in which theywere designed and constructed.

The City's open spaces, gardens andchurchyards have traditionally providedlocations for fountains. In the latter half of this century, the Corporation has increasedand improved the amount of open spacefor public enjoyment and both existing andnew spaces have been used as settings fornew fountains and water features.Examples of these include the variety of

fountains to be found in the public spacesof the Barbican, where even the watercooling system is in the form of a lake andfountains, the glass fountain in Three Nuns

31. Broadgate, Exchange Place


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Court off A ldermanbury and the jets inthe Festival Garden near St. Paul'sCathedral.

There are also examples where fountainshave been used to great effect in the

setting of new buildings andrefurbishments, such as the cascade atDrapers Gardens and the water walls inGeorge Yard, Lombard Street.

The City, in recent years, has also seen theredevelopment of larger sites such asBroadgate and Cutlers Gardens. The scaleof the development has allowed thecreation of a complex of buildings setwithin new public spaces. The carefuldesign of these spaces has beencomplemented by the introductionof fountains and water features.At Broadgate, the fountains are an integral

part of the architecture as publicamenities, which include landscaping,seating, sculptures, shops, restaurants andan ice rink.

In the future, the Corporation of Londonwill continue to encourage, through theimplementation of the UDP the provisionof well-designed fountains and waterfeatures in appropriate locations. Suchprovision will be sought not only in newdevelopments but also in refurbishmentsand existing buildings and spaces, withthe aim of enhancing the appearance of the City, for the benefit of Citybusinesses, residents, workers andvisitors.

32. A ldermanbury Square 33. Dorset R ise

34. Gresham Street 35. Drapers Gardens


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36. St. Dunstan in the East 37. Adams Court 38. P ostman s Park

39. Britannic Tower Plaza


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Drinking Fountains - a selection

40. West Smithfield Gardens 41. Finsbury Circus 42. Royal Exchange

43. P ostman s Park 44. Aldgate P ump 45. Aldermanbury

ORPOR TION

OF LONDON

The Corporation of London is the local authority for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the City of London.It is committed to maintaining and enhancing the status of the Business City as one of the world's three leadingfinancial centres through the policies it pursues and the high standard of service it provides. Its responsibilitiesextend far beyond the City Boundaries and it provides a host of additional facilities for the benefit of the nation.

These range from the Central Criminal Court, The Old Bailey, to the famous Barbican Arts Centre and open spacessuch as Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath. Among local authorities the Corporation is unique; not only is it the

oldest in the country, combining its ancient traditions and ceremonial functions with the role of a modern and efficientauthority, but is operates on a non-party political basis through its Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Members of the Court

of Common Council. The Corporation of London: a unique authority for a unique City.

This pu blic atio n wa s pro du ce d by:

Urban Design & Conservation Section, Department of Planning, Tel: 0171 332 1716 Fax: 0171 332 1806Peter Wynne Rees B S C B T C H B TP R I B F R T P I F R S A , City Planning Officer, P.O. Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P 2E J

The map in this publication is based upon the Ordnance Survey Map for the City of London with the sanction of the Controller of Her Majesty s Stationery Office,Crown Copyright reserved.

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