Churton Memorial Fountain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Churton Memorial Fountain |
|
|---|---|
Churton Memorial Fountain
|
|
| Location | Brownlow Street, Whitchurch, Shropshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 545 416 |
| Built | 1882 |
| Built for | John Churton |
| Architect | John Douglas |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
|
Listed Building – Grade II
|
|
| Designated | 1 March 1988 |
| Reference no. | 1307452 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Churton Memorial Fountain is a special old fountain in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England. It stands on the west side of Brownlow Street. This fountain is considered a very important historical building. It is officially listed as a Grade II building, which means it's protected because of its history and design.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of the Fountain
The Churton Memorial Fountain was built in 1882. A man named John Churton had it built. He wanted it to be a special way to remember his parents and his wife.
The fountain was designed by John Douglas. He was a famous architect from Chester.
Originally, the fountain was in a different spot. It stood where several streets met: Brownlow Street, Green End, Talbot Street, and Station Road.
In the early 1930s, the fountain was moved. It was causing problems with cars and other traffic. So, it found its new home further along Brownlow Street, where it stands today.
Discovering the Fountain's Design
The Churton Memorial is a drinking fountain. It was made for both people and animals to get water.
Materials and Colors
The fountain is built from stone. It has an eight-sided shape, called an octagonal plan. Its style is known as Gothic Revival. This means it looks like older Gothic buildings.
The bottom part is made of granite. It has cool stripes of pink and grey stone. The upper parts are made of sandstone ashlar. This stone is cut smoothly and also has red and grey stripes.
Special Features
On the front and back of the fountain, you can see copper spouts. They are shaped like lions' heads! These are where the water would come out for people to drink.
On the sides, there are semicircular troughs. These were made for animals to drink from.
Above the lion's head spouts, there are special panels. These panels have buttresses on their sides. Buttresses are supports that stick out from a wall.
Above these panels are pointed decorations called crocketted gables. They have small, fancy carvings. At the very top of these are pointed ornaments called finials.
You might also notice some old gas mantles on each side. These were once used to light up the fountain, but they are not used anymore.
Top of the Fountain
At the very top of the fountain is an eight-sided pinnacle. This is a tall, slender tower.
Above the pinnacle is a pointed spire. It also has crocketted decorations. At the very peak of the spire is a wrought iron cross finial. This is a decorative cross made from iron.
Important Messages
The fountain also has two special messages carved into it. One message tells us about John Churton, who gave the fountain. The other message is a quote from St John's Gospel in the Bible.
