Survey Data
Reg No
13402102
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
Date
1890 - 1910
Coordinates
200646, 263609
Date Recorded
04/08/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding cast-iron water hydrant, erected c. 1900, comprising fluted shaft on moulded base with cast-iron shelf/platform (now broken), moulded spout and having fluted domed capping with acorn finial over. Pull lever to side. Now disused. Located adjacent to rendered wall, and set on roadside. Located to the south of Lanesborough and adjacent to rural crossroad junction at Formoyle.
Appraisal
An attractive piece of mass produced cast-iron, which remains an appealing and subtle feature in the streetscape/landscape to the south of Lanesborough. This water hydrant is of particular importance as a reminder of the mechanisms installed for the provision of clean drinking water in the period before mains water supply systems. The various fluted details enhance the artistic design quality of the piece, and indicate the equal importance of aesthetics as well as functionality. It was probably made at the Glenfield and Kennedy Ltd. Foundry, at Kilmarnock in Scotland, who were responsible for many of the cast-iron hydrants in rural Ireland. It is located adjacent to a rural crossroad junction (at Formoyle), which is an obvious site for a communal water source.