The Steble Fountain is located on William Brown Street, to the west of Wellington's Column, in Liverpool city centre.
The Grade II* listed fountain was a gift to the City Of Liverpool from Lieutenant Colonel Richard Fell Steble, who was a local army officer and a former Mayor of Liverpool from 1874 to 1875. He gave £1,000 to the city to build a fountain on the site.
The cast iron fountain designed by Paul Lienard, and made by the iron founders W. T. Allen and Co. of Lambeth Hill, was unveiled in 1879 by the Mayor Sir Thomas Bland Royden.
"The fountain is constructed in cast iron with some bronze fittings. At the base of the fountain is a circular basin with a diameter of 30 feet (9.1 m). From the centre of the basin rises an octagonal stem on a cruciform base with the statue of a marine god at each corner. These sculptures depict the mythological Greek figures Neptune and his sea-goddess wife Amphitrite and nereid Galatea and river spirit Acis.
Above this is a shallow octagonal bowl with a diameter of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m). It has 16 overflow outlets; these are decorated with scallops, Lancastrian roses, and marine grotesques. From the centre of this bowl rises another bowl about 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter. This is surmounted by a mermaid holding a cornucopia. The total height of the fountain is 23 feet (7.0 m)."
SOURCE: (
visit link)
"The fountains water pressure was initially disappointingly low and water was later pumped by a steam pump in the basement of St George’s Hall, but its noise disrupted proceedings in the courts above.
The pumps for the Steble fountain are located underneath the hall and the vibration from them often disrupted proceedings in the courts above. In August 1989 a presiding judge, justice Lush was so annoyed by the noise of the machinery that he ordered it to be switched off. The original machinery was eventually replaced by an electric pump. The fountain underwent a restoration in 1922 on the occasion of the 'Tall Ships Race' and again in 2013."
SOURCE: (
visit link)
A report by Alan Weston about the restoration of the fountain appeared in the Liverpool Echo on 23rd August 2013, and reads as follows;
'Liverpool's Steble fountain getting £16,000 makeover'"Engineers called in for specialist work
One of Liverpool’s best- known landmarks the Steble fountain is getting a makeover.
Specialist engineers are giving the Steble fountain in William Brown Street its first major restoration in more than 20 years.
This will see the heads where the water flows being removed and repaired and the fountain repainted to reverse the effects of the weather and general wear and tear.
The fountain has been fenced off while work is being carried out.
It is expected to take up to six weeks to complete and is costing £16,000.
The cast- iron fountain, in front of the Walker Art Gallery, is a Grade II listed building and dates back to 1879.
It was donated to the city by a former Mayor, Lt Col Richard Fell Steble, who gave £1,000 to the city to build a fountain on that site.
The refurbishment is being carried out by Liverpool-based Gordon Alison marine engineering services on behalf of the city council.
Cllr Wendy Simon, cabinet member for culture and tourism, said: “The Steble fountain is a significant monument in the cultural quarter.
“ It is showing signs of wear and tear so we are having the work carried out to restore it to a condition fitting for its setting.”
The fountain, close to Wellington’s Column, was created after locals protested about the rubbish-strewn state of the last remaining patch of ground in the city's newly- created “culture quarter”.
In 1879, a crowd of VIPs gathered to watch the mayor, Sir Thomas Bland Royden, switch on the fountain with a silver key.
The water pressure was very low so the fountain was linked to a steam pump in nearby St George’s Hall, but judges ordered it to be turned off as the pulsating water disrupted court proceedings.
The fountain became well-known for acting as a makeshift paddling pool for local youngsters when temperatures soar in the city centre."
(
visit link)
(
visit link)
(
visit link)