Fountain on the Green at Barnardo's

Reasons for Designation

Dr Barnardo was a major figure in Victorian England and the history of the charity he founded is of manifold significance, not least to the descendants of the thousands of children he helped. Dr Barnardo's Girls' Village Home at Barkingside was not only his magnum opus, but also his place of rest, and was the emblem of the charity's mission well into the C20. The Village survives today as a remarkable physical manifestation of the strengths and weaknesses of Barnardo the man, and the character of Victorian charity, a highly-esteemed virtue in the C19. It evidences both the sentimental and nostalgic aspects of Victorian charitable foundations, as well as the sometimes severe treatment of children in that era, in particular through the story of emigration to Canada. Even lacking many of its communal buildings, and nearly two-thirds of its original cottages, the Barnardo's Girls Village Homes at Barkingside is a special place. For reasons of their special architectural and historic interest, as well as group value, the central components of the Village -- the Children's Church, Cairns Cottage, and the twenty-two surviving cottage homes -- are recommended for listing at Grade II. The fountain, lodge, and boundary walls are recommended too, mainly for their group value as handsome and integral components of the ensemble, which form an essential part of the setting of the cottage homes. Athlone and Linney Houses, both later, less interesting architecturally, and more detached from the main green, are not recommended for listing. A separate advice (UID 170024) recommends that the memorial to Dr Barnardo, currently listed at Grade II, be upgraded to Grade II*.

Details

937/0/10069 TANNERS LANE 05-MAY-10 BARKINGSIDE Fountain on the Green at Barnardo's

GV II Fountain, late C19, restored 2005.

A three-tier bronze fountain with a central shaft from which water projects, flowing into three shallow, circular bowls of increasing widths. The fountain is in the centre of a large, shallow, circular stone pool at ground level, surrounded by plant beds.

The fountain is shown in historic photographs of the site and marked on historic Ordnance Survey maps. The three village greens at the Barnardo's Girls Village Home originally had fountains, benches, a rose bower and other garden structures. Only this green now survives, with this single fountain.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The three-tiered fountain is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * historic interest: all that remains, along with several specimen trees, of the many features in the Victorian landscaped gardens at the Barnardo's Girls' Village Homes; * group value: contributes to the setting of this significant Victorian cottage home settlement, especially Cairns Cottage (qv).

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

508320

Legacy System:

LBS

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