Tap and go... days when the city was awash with fountains

NEXT time you’re having a stroll down The Lough, keep an eye out for a piece of history: A fountain that used to provide a vital supply of drinking water for local citizens.

In the days before every house had its own source, these provided water on tap and were a vital layer of civilisation for Cork.

In the late 1700s, the Cork Pipe-Water Co. was formed to supply piped water for homes.

There was a household charge for this - yes, water charges! - but for those who could not afford it, public fountains were installed at strategic locations, generally at street intersections of well-populated areas within the city.

While the low number installed by the Pipe Water Co. was an ongoing bone of contention, their irregular and intermittent supply was of most concern.

At a council meeting in October, 1857, the issue came to a head. Some councillors related the concerns of citizens in the north side of the city, who had had no water from public fountains for several days. It was queried if the absence of the supply was due to the constant needs of adjacent breweries and distilleries.

James Adams, Water Engineer with the Pipe Water Co., stated that public fountains were supplied with water for two hours in the morning and a similar time in the evening.

Adams, who began with the Pipe Water Co. in the 1840s, continued his role after the purchase of the utility by Cork Corporation in 1856, handing over to John Ring, the first Resident Engineer in the water-works, in 1860.

As part of the transfer of power, the Corporation committed to purchase more than 120 fountains to satisfy rising demand.

Between 1858 and 1880, the Corporation spent £54,360 on the installation of water distribution pipes in the city, and in that same period a further £768 was spent purchasing roadside fountains.

These, so vital to the citizens, were manufactured by different companies, notably Glenfield & Kennedy, Kilmarnock, Scotland and McCarthy Bros. Foundry in Mountrath, Co. Laois.

There were three types of installations involved in the provision of public water supplies.

1. The traditional fountain, located on pavements in urban/suburban locations

2. The drinking fountain, in public/recreational areas.

3. The rural fountain/pump, which was generally located on the outskirts of rural villages or rural settlements.

A well-sinking contractor would drill and source a water supply at about 30ft. A manual pump would then be installed within a compound of three walls. The dominant feature was the installation of the standing fountain with the exposed tap, which were located across the city.

Within the Borough, these fountains provided a free water supply and had a huge impact on poorer areas. They were fed by a piped supply of water and three of the original ones are still in situ, including the one at The Lough.

Significant progress was made by the Corporation in 1858, when a new engine house was built, pumps and turbines installed, two new reservoirs constructed, and a vast quantity of new fountains were erected, providing free water for those not in a position to subscribe. The fountains were so vital that large crowds continuously assembled to collect this essential utility.

In one instance, Rev Dr Nelligan, of St Mary’s, Shandon, complained to the Pipe Water Committee that such noise and confusion that took place on Sunday mornings was impacting on the congregation and he wished to have the fountain relocated.

The volume of work carried out to the water network was so vast that James Adams, in his weekly submission to the Pipe Water Committee, reported on November 29, 1858, that five fountains were installed that week, in Blarney Lane, Boyce’s Street, Abbey Street, Maypole Road, and Evergreen Street.

From the 1860s, the fountains were installed outside the city boundary, at the request of the Rural District Council (RDC), generally at crossroads. The RDC paid for the installation charge and annual rent, and these were available for four hours per day.

As the fire service was within the control of the water work committee, the effective operation of these fountains involved a fireman riding on horseback to the outer areas to operate the valves.

By 1880, it was decided that the fountains at Looney’s Cross, Bishopstown, and Upper and Lower Glasheen, be operated by a Corporation employee from the nearby cemetery, due to increasing demands on the fire service.

A year earlier, a request to install a fountain at the caretaker’s house at The Lough, then outside the city boundary, carried a fee of £96 for the laying of the water supply and the installation of a fountain, and an annual cost of £5.

In 1905, an area in Lower Mayfield with 76 houses within the city boundary, and an adjacent area containing 68 houses outside it, were supplied with a fountain where the RDC contributed half the cost of the installation.

As the city water network expanded, there was a re-positioning of many of the fountains. One at Croaghtamore, Denroche’s Cross, was installed on the Model Farm Road in 1918, and the fountain in Spangle Hill was relocated at Garvey’s Bridge.

For decades, these provided a vital necessity for many citizens. They began with the Pipe Water Co. in the early 1800s and for nearly 100 years were installed inside and outside the city.

One of the last fountains installed was in County’s Lane, Ballinlough, in January, 1929. A request from the Cork Co. Board of Health to City Commissioner Philip Monahan was granted and the fountain was installed for £5 and an annual charge of £ 7.12.6d.

The fountains erected outside the city boundary provided a significant source of revenue for Cork Corporation, recorded in 1904 as rental of £575, and the cost of water supplied to them was £1,025.

Another type of fountain installed in that period was the drinking fountain. These were generally erected on the external walls of public buildings or places of recreational activity, and usually installed at the request of local councillors.

Two of these are still visible on the front wall of the Cork Court-house on Washington Street.

In more outlying rural areas, the fountain/pump was installed. A well sinking contractor was the primary contractor for this work. These were generally installed in small rural villages or traditionally where there was a cluster of cottage acres.

For such an installation in Kerry Pike in 1899, the tender of John Cashman, well-sinking contractor, was as follows.

Pump: £18. 0s. 0d.

Drilling Well: £0.7s. 0d. per foot

Drilling Rock - £1. 5s. 0d. per foot

Lining Well - £0. 3s. 0d. per foot

Walls/Compound £7. 0s. 0d.

These pumps were installed for many years well into the 20th century and are very visible to this day in rural areas.

Fountain of knowledge

THE other, more prominent type of fountain that sprang up around Cork city in the 19th century were ornamental and display ones.

In his 40 years with Cork Corporation, one of John O’Sullivan’s functions was to maintain these. Among them were:

The Berwick fountain, installed on Grand Parade around 1860. This was designed by Sir John Benson, who also designed the fountain in the English Market.

The Fitzgerald Park fountain, which was installed around 1900.

The Dunscombe Fountain at the bottom of Shandon Street, which had been a drinking fountain from 1883 to 1935, and was replaced by a display fountain from 1985 before that was removed around 20 years later.