The Readymoney Drinking Fountain, also occasionally known as the Parsee Fountain, is a Grade II

listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

near the middle of the Broad Walk footpath on the east side of

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It lies southeast of

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

, close to the highest point of Regent's Park, about above sea level, in an area with few trees, making it widely visible across the park. The

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

was erected in 1869, with the £1,400 cost funded by Sir

Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney Sir Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, CSI (24 May 1812 – 19 July 1878) was a Parsi community leader, philanthropist and industrialist of Bombay, India. Family and background Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney came from a wealthy Parsi family. His great ...

, a successful

Parsee Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

businessman and philanthropist from

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, as a token of thanks to the people of England for their protection of the Parsees in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. The structure was built to the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

design of Robert Keirle, who was the architect of the

Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association was an association set up in London by Samuel Gurney, a member of Parliament and philanthropist, and Edward Thomas Wakefield, a barrister, in 1859 to provide free drinking water. ...

. It was constructed by the sculptor

Henry Ross Henry Ross (1829 – 5 December 1854) was a Canadian-Australian gold miner who died in the Eureka Rebellion at the Ballarat gold fields in the British History of Victoria, Colony of Victoria, now the state of Victoria (Australia), Victor ...

, using 10 tons of white marble from Sicily, and 4 tons of pink and grey granite from Aberdeen. The main four-sided structure rests on three octagonal steps. The central white marble block has a pink granite basin on each side, with granite standing blocks on the ground beside each basin. Small apertures were included at the base of the central block to allow dogs to drink. Above each basin is a carved marble panel, with one depicting a lion and another a Brahmin bull, topped by a frieze decorated with inlaid stars and a triangular pediment resembling a gable. The central block rises to a gabled spire with a decorative terminal, with three pink granite columnettes rising to a single pinnacle at each corner. Three of the gables have a carved bust, depicting Readymoney, Prince Albert, and Queen Victoria, and the fourth has a clock. The drinking fountain was unveiled on 1 August 1869 by Princess

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...

; she was a granddaughter of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and her daughter later became Queen Mary. It was listed at Grade II in 1970, and it was restored in 1999–2000 with over £400,000 of funding from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. A modern plaque above the basin on the south face of the fountain reads: :"This fountain erected by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association was the gift of Sir Cowasjee Jehangir (Companion of the Star of India), a wealthy Parsee gentleman of Bombay, as a token of gratitude to the people of England for the protection enjoyed by him and his Parsee fellow countrymen under the British rule in India.
Inaugurated by H.R.H. Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck, 1869.
Restoration supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund 1999 – 2000. Further restoration work was undertaken in 2016 and 2017. The water no longer runs, but a modern

has been installed nearby. File:Jehangir Fountain Regents Park 2006-04-14.jpeg, Fountain in 2006 File:Statue in Regent's Park - geograph.org.uk - 1434438.jpg, Fountain in 2009 File:Fountain of Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney in the Regent's Park in London, June 2013 (1).jpg, Fountain in 2013

References

Historic England

Royal Parks

London Remembers

Inauguration of the Regent's Park fountain
''The Builder'', v.27 p. 631, 7 August 1869. Hathi Trust
Peabody

Heritage Lottery Fund

Chichester Stoneworks

Friends of Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Newsletter 92, Summer 2017
{{coord, 51.53284, -0.15060, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Fountains in the United Kingdom 1896 in London 1896 sculptures Buildings and structures completed in 1896 Stone sculptures in the United Kingdom Drinking fountains in the United Kingdom Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II listed monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in London Outdoor sculptures in London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Camden