Survey Data
Reg No
40807015
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
In Use As
Water pump
Date
1900 - 1930
Coordinates
201721, 437290
Date Recorded
18/11/2010
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding cast-iron water hydrant, erected c. 1915, comprising fluted shaft on moulded base and surmounted by fluted domed capping with acorn finial over, and having lion's head motif to spout. Pull lever to side. Foundry mark to base now obscured. Sited on footpath to the west end of Main Street, Dunfanaghy. Built into modern kerb.
Appraisal
An attractive piece of mass-produced cast-iron, which is an appealing and subtle feature in the streetscape adjacent to the west of the centre of Dunfanaghy. This particular example is notable due to its excellent preservation. This water hydrant is of particular importance as a reminder of the mechanisms installed for the supply of clean drinking water in the period before mains water supply systems. The various fluted details, and the moulded lion's head motif in particular, enhances the artistic design quality of the piece, and indicates the equal importance of aesthetics as well as functionality. This lion's head motif may be a reference to the British Empire. Although the foundry mark to the front is now obscured, the style of this water hydrant suggests that it was made at the Glenfield and Kennedy Ltd. Foundry in Scotland, which was the major company producing and selling cast-iron water mechanisms within the British Empire during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. This simple item of street furniture makes a positive contribution to the streetscape of Dunfanaghy, and is an integral element of the built heritage and social history of the local area. It appears to have replaced an earlier water pump that was located a short distance to the north-west c. 1900 (Ordnance Survey twenty-five inch map).