Buxton Memorial Fountain facts for kids
The Buxton Memorial Fountain is a special memorial and drinking fountain located in London, United Kingdom. It was built to remember the end of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. It also honors the important role that British politicians played in the campaign to stop slavery.
The fountain was ordered by Charles Buxton, who was a Member of Parliament himself. It was dedicated to his father, Thomas Fowell Buxton. Other key figures honored include William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Henry Brougham, and Stephen Lushington. All these people were very involved in the movement to abolish slavery.
Charles Buxton, who enjoyed architecture as a hobby, designed the fountain. He worked with a professional architect named Samuel Sanders Teulon, who was known for his Gothic Revival style. The fountain was designed in 1865. This was around the same time the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, which officially ended slavery in the United States. The memorial was finished in February 1866.
The fountain was first built in Parliament Square and cost about £1,200. After World War II, the square was redesigned. The fountain was moved in 1949. It was put back in its current spot in Victoria Tower Gardens in 1957.
Originally, the fountain had eight decorative figures of British rulers. Sadly, four were stolen in 1960 and the other four in 1971. They were replaced with new figures made of fibreglass in 1980. By 2005, these new figures were also missing, and the fountain was no longer working.
Between late 2006 and early 2007, the fountain was carefully restored. The newly repaired fountain was officially revealed on March 27, 2007. This event was part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the law that abolished the slave trade. In 1989, a special plaque was added to the fountain. It marked 150 years since the Anti-Slavery Society was founded.
What the Fountain Looks Like
The Buxton Memorial Fountain has a base with eight sides, like an octagon. It is about twelve feet wide. It features open arches on each of its eight sides. These arches are held up by groups of shiny Devonshire marble pillars. In the middle, there is a large central pillar. There are also four big granite basins for water.
At the top corners of the octagon, there were once eight bronze figures. These figures represented different rulers from England's history. They included Caractacus for the Britons, Constantine for the Romans, Canute for the Danes, and Alfred for the Saxons. It also showed William the Conqueror for the Normans, and ended with Queen Victoria.
Important Message on the Fountain
The fountain has an inscription, which is a message carved into it. This message explains its purpose. It says the fountain is "intended as a memorial of those members of Parliament who, with Mr. Wilberforce, advocated the abolition of the British slave-trade, achieved in 1807." This part remembers those who fought to end the slave trade.
The inscription continues: "and of those members of Parliament who, with Sir T. Fowell Buxton, advocated the emancipation of the slaves throughout the British dominions, achieved in 1834." This part honors those who worked to free all enslaved people in the British Empire.
Finally, the inscription notes: "It was designed and built by Mr. Charles Buxton, M.P., in 1865, the year of the final extinction of the slave-trade and of the abolition of slavery in the United States." This tells us who designed it, when it was built, and connects it to the worldwide end of slavery.
See also
In Spanish: Buxton Memorial Fountain para niños
