Ross Fountain in West Princes Street Gardens

Ross Fountain is a

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

structure located in West Princes Street Gardens,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. It was installed in 1872 and restored in 2018.

History

The Ross Fountain was produced at the

iron foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

of Antoine Durenne in

Sommevoire Sommevoire () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of Haute-Marne. The communes cooperate in ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was an exhibit at the Great Exhibition of 1862. It was purchased by gunmaker Daniel Ross in 1862 for £2,000 and subsequently gifted to the city of Edinburgh. It was transported to

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

in 1869 in 122 pieces. It was installed in its current position in 1872. It had some extensive restoration work completed in 2001.

Restoration

Re-starting the Ross Fountain in West Princes Street Gardens

Water was turned off in 2008 and it was closed again from July 2017 for further restoration work undertaken by Lost Art Limited of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

on behalf of

The Ross Development Trust The Ross Development Trust (RDT) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) established to refurbish West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Their declared mission is ''"to create a unique, internationally recognisable venue for all ...

, costing 1.9 million pounds. On 8 July 2018, it was re-inaugurated by Lord Provost Frank Ross and others, including the Head of Mission at the French Consulate in Edinburgh Emmanuel Cocher. The fountain is now painted in turquoise, brown and gold. According to the organisers, the paintwork should last for at least 20 years. The fountain has a new pump and will be switched on permanently.

References

External links

History of Ross FountainRoss Development Trust
{{Authority control Fountains in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures completed in 1872 Tourist attractions in Edinburgh West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh