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Description: | An ornamental fountain standing at the western end of the model village which Lady Waterford began c.1860. From a locally-quarried stone basin with cable moulding on the rim rises a Gothic column, the shaft of which is in polished red Aberdeen granite, the base in light grey Peterhead granite. There is a small bronze panel on the east face of the base with a relief of the Waterford arms and two supporters. The lower part of the shaft is octagonal and bears small shields; the upper part is cylindrical. A foliated capital in Caen stone supports the figure of an angel with down-turned sword and shield. This angel, almost certainly Archangel Michael to whom Ford church is dedicated, faces west towards Ford Castle. There are four stone spouts at the base of the shaft and four semi-circular troughs attached to the outside of the basin with bronze lion's head spouts. Both the troughs and the basin are now filled with earth. Additional Information: The fountain commemorates Henry de la Poer, third Marquis of Waterford (1811-1859) who died in a hunting accident. Lord Waterford, 'a noble-looking man, light of limb, square-shouldered, and with light hair' met his future wife, the beautiful Louisa Stuart de Rothesay (1818-91) at the famous pseudo-medieval Eglington Tournament in 1839.(1) They married three years later and went to live on his estate at Carraghmore, Ireland, where he spent his time hunting and she devoted herself to good works. That he should die as he did was particularly poignant for Lady Waterford who, knowing how fearless a rider he was, had only a short time before made him resolve to give up hunting at the end of the season.(2) | Subjects: | Drinking Fountain | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Sculptor: Philip, Birnie Designer: Scott, George Gilbert | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=7515... | Go to resource |
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