Rondebosch Fountain is an ornamental
Victorian drinking
trough
Trough may refer to:
In science
* Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench
* Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure
* Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave
* Trough level (medicine), the l ...
for horses, standing on a
traffic island
A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physical ...
on the intersection between Belmont Road and Main Road in the centre of
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.
History
Four years after the first Dutch s ...
in
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislature, legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the sec ...
. It was declared a National Monument on 10 April 1964.
[
Originally known as the Moodie Fountain, the fountain was made of cast iron in 1891 and consisted of a circular drinking trough supported on horses' legs, with a central post topped with a hexagonal lantern. Four decorated brackets may have originally suspended cups for people to drink from the spouting water, while horses drank from the trough, and dogs from smaller basins at ground level.][
It was cast by Walter Macfarlane & Co. at the ]Saracen Foundry
The Saracen Foundry, Possilpark, Glasgow c.1890
The Saracen Foundry was the better-known name for the Possilpark, Glasgow–based foundry company W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd, founded and owned by Walter MacFarlane. MacFarlane's was the most importan ...
in Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, and presented to the community by George Pigot Moodie in 1891. The lantern was South Africa's first electric streetlight and was first turned on on 25 April 1892, initially powered by Moodie's private power plant until a municipal power plant on the Liesbeek River
The Liesbeek River (also spelt Liesbeeck) is a river in Cape Town in South Africa. It is named after a small river in the Netherlands. The first "free burghers" of the Dutch East India Company were granted land to farm along the river in 1657, sh ...
was completed.
Gallery
Rondebosch Fountain early 20th century.jpg , A street scene of Main Road Rondebosch, Cape Town around the turn of the 20th century. The recently installed Rondebosch Fountain can be seen to the left in the foreground.
Rondebosch Fountain Detail.jpg
Rondebosch Fountain lamp.JPG
Rondebosch Fountain.jpg , A photograph of the original fountain a few years before it was accidentally destroyed.
Similar fountains
The Fountain was listed as Water Trough number 27 in the Macfarlane's Castings Catalogue, Sixth edition, vol. 2.
Two similar fountains manufactured at Saracen Foundry to the same design exist in South Africa: one in the neighbouring suburb of Rosebank, but without the horses' legs, and one in Cradock in the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
, now without the original hexagonal lantern. A cast iron fountain with a similar but simpler design stands in Jubilee Square, Simon's Town
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern sid ...
.
Other fountains to the same design include the Adye Douglas Water Trough in Australia, the Racedo Fountain in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on Boulevard Racedo in front of the railway station in Paraná, Entre Ríos
Paraná () is the capital city of the Argentine province Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring Santa Fe Province. The city has a population of 247,863 ().
Hi ...
,Loanhead
Loanhead is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, in a commuter belt to the south of Edinburgh, and close to Roslin, Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith. The town was built on coal and oil shale mining, and the paper industries.
History
Loanhead was a tiny vil ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, dismantled in 1933.
References
{{Commons category, Rondebosch Fountain
Rondebosch
Fountains in South Africa