Drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, facing south towards Market Place

Summary

Drinking fountain. Built in 1860 to the design of the architects William Ford Poulton and William Henry Woodman abutting the south elevation of St Laurence’s Church tower.

Reasons for Designation

The drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Church tower, built in 1860, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

*     as a well-detailed and well-crafted drinking fountain of 1860, which contributes to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape.

Historic interest:

*     as part of the urban development of Reading’s ancient core.

Group value:

*    the structure is in close proximity to a large number of listed buildings and forms part of a strong historic grouping.

History

The first written record of Reading dates from a reference to a battle recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 871. By the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, Reading had become a town of notable size. After Reading Abbey was founded in 1121, the town grew substantially, spurring cloth production, the establishment of the new Market Place, and what would today be known as London Street, an extension to the High Street that facilitated trade to and from London. By 1525, the town’s thriving cloth industry led Reading to become the largest town in Berkshire. In 1542, Henry VIII’s royal charter made Reading a borough. Following significant upheaval during the Civil War, the town flourished during the C18 and C19 and several developments spurred its growth, including the arrival of the Great Western Railway, improvements to the navigability of the River Kennet, and the growth of the local brewing industry.

The drinking fountain on the south side of St Laurence’s Tower is commonly known as the ‘Dog Fountain’. It was designed by the architects William Ford Poulton and William Henry Woodman in 1860 abutting the south elevation of St Laurence’s Church tower. It followed a national movement to provide towns with safe drinking water and was reported on positively in local newspapers when it was built. The bas-relied carving of the deer on the fountain is considered to be a reference to Psalm 42. The fountain originally had a taller finial that gave it a height of over three metres tall. The drinking fountain was restored in 1990 by Thames Water and Reading Borough Council, and further repaired by Reading Borough Council in March 2022.

Details

Drinking fountain. Built in 1860 to the design of the architects William Ford Poulton and William Henry Woodman abutting the south elevation of St Laurence’s Church tower.

MATERIALS: constructed of limestone with granite piers.

DESCRIPTION: the fountain has a broad limestone base carved with two trefoil-arched dog drinking basins flanking a miniature foliate column at its centre. On top of the column is an irregular hexagonal drinking basin surmounted by a large gothic gable with crockets on both its pitches, foliate ornament beneath its east and west eaves, and a small crocketed finial or fleche at its apex. The end of the gable contains a relief carving of a deer. Over the basin is a large trefoil arch with projecting hood, upheld by miniature flanking granite columns with foliate capitals. Recessed into the arch is a decorative panel with lotus ornament.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

39067

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Coates, C, Map of Reading (1802).
Goad Fire Insurance Maps of Reading, Sheet 10 (1895).
Reading Board of Health Map (1853).
Tyack, Geoffrey, Bradley, Simon, Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England: Berkshire (2010)
Reading Borough Council, ‘Huntley & Palmers Audio Trail: Market Place and London Street’. Available at: https://www.reading.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/heritage-and-conservation/readings-high-street-heritage-action-zone/community-engagement/reading-audio-trails/huntley-palmers-audio-trail-market-place-and-london-street/

End of official list entry

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