Carnwell Fountain
CARNWELL FOUNTAIN, WALCOT STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1395594
- Date first listed:
- 07-May-2002
- List Entry Name:
- Carnwell Fountain
- Statutory Address:
- CARNWELL FOUNTAIN, WALCOT STREET
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1395594
- Date first listed:
- 07-May-2002
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 15-Oct-2010
- List Entry Name:
- Carnwell Fountain
- Statutory Address 1:
- CARNWELL FOUNTAIN, WALCOT STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CARNWELL FOUNTAIN, WALCOT STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 75060 65282
Details
WALCOT STREET 656-1/31/1812 (West side) Carnwell Fountain 07.05.2002
GV II
Trough and drinking fountain. 1860 by Major Charles Davis (c1826-1902). Medley of building stones, including grey and pink sandstone, white marble, polished pink and grey granite. Arched recess to right over fountain, with low trough in front; rectangular continuation to left with drinking fountain and basin. Romanesque arch to right of two receding orders, with weathered Lombardic decoration, carried on colonnettes with floral capitals of marble. Continuous impost band of red sandstone. Depressed arch over former fountain with voussoirs of alternating varieties of sandstone; projecting moulded trough of grey sandstone. To left, drinking fountain with basin of pink granite, step between colonnettes of pink granite with marble capitals. Openings set between ashlar blocks of pink/grey sandstone. Above fountain is a badly weathered inscription panel: legible sections indicate that this once read `Jesus said: whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst again' (John IV, 13-14). HISTORY: This fountain was erected close to the site of the earlier Carnwell conduit, described in John Wood's `A description of Bath' p.272. It is set into the rear retaining wall of the rear gardens of Bladud's Buildings above, and was located close to the Bath Cattle Market. It is an early example of a free public drinking fountain, and stylistically owes much to the design of the first such fountain unveiled at St Sepulchre's, Snow Hill, City of London in 1859. Davis, the City architect, was also influenced by John Ruskin's depictions of Venetian medieval architecture. The fountain displays a wide range of different stones, indicative of the High Victorian taste for architectural polychromy, and interest in geology. Fountain in poor condition and disused at time of inspection (2002), and trough filled with earth. SOURCES: Attribution to Davis based on his obituary in The Builder, 17 May 1902. Illustrated in R.E.M. Peach, `Rambles about Bath' (1876).
Listing NGR: ST7506065282
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 511005
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 09-Jun-2026 at 06:23:11.
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