By the end of the Victorian era almost all British towns and cities had at least one public drinking fountain. Thousands of these survive as part of our modern townscape yet, since few of them still work, they are easy to walk past and ignore. This is a shame because they represent a huge step forward in public health, providing our ancestors with free, clean drinking water at a time when only the wealthy could enjoy this luxury in their own homes.
Issue 124 / August 2023
Social History
Free water for all
Public drinking fountains aided public health and enabled philanthropists to make their mark
Header Image: Drinking fountains were designed to be attractive additions to the streetscape and were often sited at crossroads or in market squares, like this one at Lytham in Lancashire. The Clifton Memorial of 1882 was subsequently re-sited to make way for a war memorial but survives and is now grade II listed. (Kathryn Ferry)