Survey Data
Reg No
40830012
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Water pump
Date
1900 - 1920
Coordinates
234571, 409809
Date Recorded
28/09/2010
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding cast-iron water hydrant, erected c. 1910, comprising fluted shaft on moulded base with cast-iron pale\bucket stand (now broken), and surmounted by fluted domed capping with acorn finial over, and having lion's head motif to spout. Pull lever to east side. Foundry mark 'Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd, Kilmarnock' to shaft. Sited to the north side of the main street to the centre of Saint Johnstown.
Appraisal
An attractive piece of mass-produced cast-iron, which is an appealing and subtle feature in the streetscape adjacent to the centre of Saint Johnstown. This particular example is notable due to its excellent preservation apart from the damaged bucket\pale stand to the base. 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. The foundry mark indicates 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 example is located to the north side of the main street running through the village of Saint Johnstown, and it makes a positive contribution to the streetscape of the village, and is an integral element of the built heritage and social history of the local area. It is one of three such surviving artefacts in Saint Johnstown.