The unveiling of the heritage water fountain in Coronation Gardens, a beautiful, historical Edwardian park set in Southfields, was attended by all the supporters, funders and local dignitaries, and most importantly, the local community led by the local primary and secondary school’s pupils.
The original water bearer sculpture, which was lost, has been replaced by a centrepiece sculpture of the Coronation Garden’s designer Fanny Rollo Wilkinson, the UK’s first female professional landscape designer.
This subject and the design of the sculpture was chosen in an art competition run by the Putney School of Art and Design and the Friends of the PSAD, and won by Gillian Brett, a PSAD alumnus. The sculpture was cast at a foundry in Gloucestershire and placed in the centre of the heritage water fountain along with the new drinking water tap, while at the same time the rest of the fountain was carefully restored to its original grandeur.
The Friends of Coronation Gardens have championed this project and were supported and funded by the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT), Wandsworth Borough Council, Putney School of Art and Design (PSAD), the Friends of PSAD and the Drinking Fountain Association.
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Images from the unveiling celebration on the 3rd July, taken by Sniez Torbarina, Jane Allen and Amanda Withey.
The gardens were originally gifted to the borough in 1903 by PSAD founder and Mayor of Wandsworth Sir William Lancaster, a co-founder of the Putney School of Art and Design. The opening ceremony of the gardens took place on 4 July 1903 with speeches from Lord Meath and Sir William. The fountain was a gift from Sir William’s sisters Harriet Francis and Martha Gates.
Fanny Wilkinson designed around 75 London gardens at the turn of the 20th century. Her English Heritage Blue Plaque is in Shaftesbury Avenue, in London, where she lived between 1885 and 1896.
‘The layout, undertaken by Fanny Wilkinson landscape architect of the MPGA, has little changed, with original entrance gates on Merton Road; a path flanked by horse chestnut trees leads to a rough hewn granite drinking fountain with Art Nouveau-style bowl and ornamental railings, which was donated by the sisters of the Mayor.’
If you wish to read some more about the fascinating history of these gardens see links below.
Read about Sir William Lancaster and Fanny Rollo Wilkinson. Video link talk by Elizabeth Crawford about Fanny RW.
Sir William Lancaster co-founded the Putney School of Art and Design in 1883. Read about it here PSAD School History.
Here some of the writings and findings on the Coronation Gardens from the research by the historian Sebastian Bulmer.
See Our previous writings on this project and art competition.
Here more about Friends of Coronation Gardens, Heritage of London Trust (HOLT), Putney School of Art and Design (PSAD), the Friends of PSAD and the Drinking Fountain Association.
For any query you can contact us on email: info@psadfriends.org.uk . To Join the Friends click Here.