Drinking Fountains

 Public drinking fountains first made an appearance in London on the 21 April 1859. While London was becoming more populated, the standard of quality domestic water supply was failing to keep pace.  So much so that beer was  an alternative to water. Renowned philanthropist Sam Gurney MP gifted the public drinking fountain which is attached to the railings outside St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church on Holborn  Hill. With Edward Hill he set up the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, later renamed as the Drinking Fountains Association. So popular was the fountain that it was believed nearly 7000 people a day would use it.

Closer to home is this public fountain erected on Hoylake Parade. It was designed by McFarlane and Co Glasgow to

commemorate the jubilee year of Queen Victoria and was erected in 1901. The dedication reads "For the children of Hoylake and Meols".

A simple fountain built on the top of Bidston Hill on Wirral may well be one of the highest fountains found in the UK.  The pumping station is located at the foot of the hill though I would imagine a significant amount of engineering was still required to pump water. Interestingly the manufacturers,  Glenfield Kennedy Kilmarnock, has as their founder Thomas Kennedy who invented the world's first water meter. While there appears to be no date on the fountain, it is assumed is was installed not long after 1899.

157 years later and our need for public drinking water is gaining renewed interest.  The sales of bottled water have never been higher, and the environmental pollution  regarding waste of plastic bottles and transportation is a concern. Many charities try to address the requirement for safe drinking water in poorer countries.  Few have succeeded in implementing public outdoor fountains in the UK.

The Architects Journal developed a competition called Kiosk back in 2014 where 6 renowned architects practices were tasked to design an outdoor fountain which could be built in London. Kiosk is theTurkish term for a meeting space which includes water, and the competition was in conjunction withTurkish Ceramics as part of the Bologna Water Festival. While some of the entries were incredibly elaborate,  the idea of recycling water bottles was captured perfectly in their headline Kicking the Bottle. Their vision for fresh free outdoor drinking water  has been listed as one of the 13 most key projects visualised for London.

Fresh outdoor accessible drinking water available to all,  including pets, sounds like a plan many people might enjoy. Imagine refilling a bottle instead of throwing one away.
And help is available.

Find a Fountain will help you locate a fountain, and their site has an indication as to which are working, and ask you to submit or correct information on their website.
The Drinking Fountains Association,the original charity set up in1859, will assist with grant applications to restore or develop free drinking water schemes in this country and abroad.  Public drinking fountains come under the council public realm. While London has tried to lead a national initiative , it is failing to implement any schemes yet.

We love the designs AJKiosk  generated. Who knows what trickle effect it will have in future projects around the country.

Cersaie 2014 Bologna and more

Bologna has long been known as a centre of culture.  Historical buildings, well preserved architecture and  great transportation links all add up to this city being a destination for creative fairs and tourism. Little wonder it was voted European Capital of Culture in 2000.

Cersaie is a firm fixture in the ceramics world calendar. Major suppliers showcasing what is new and bold in the world of porcelain, ceramics, glass, designer walls, bathrooms and fittings. There was certainly a lot to see.

Glass glazed ceramic tiles and funky displays of lava basins made appealing and interesting displays. There was certainly a fair amount of lava products on show. Whether the material was used as wall tiles , or cast as basins or worksurfaces, this was certainly an interesting product.

I really liked the  bricks on show. Whether they were porcelain or designer brick, there was something really appealing about them. Not only were there different sizes and shapes- but some really exciting colourways and suggestions for patterns.

I'm quite into the designer brick- and very excited one supplier. Something a little bit different.

We saw at Decorex a few years ago a bit of gold/ brass displayed in bathroom hardware, this year a bit more in Bologna. It's a resurgent market, impressed to see some really good partnerships hardware and sanitaryware.

How can you not love these radiators by Ridea Schema Bird. There is Wolly, Schema Cat and Schema Bird- who incidentally was tweeting through Cersaie 2014 . Who says radiators need be boring.

We tend to think of heating in this country as being wall mounted boring white, or portable grey blowing hot air.

There are alternatives, and some imagination and great designs.

Excited was I by Cordivari, Italian style fantastico, shown here.
Fiore, a Spanish company with electric and water heaters and again great designs.


My journey continued to visit Tubes Radiatori. So here I am in a 16th century palace Ex Ospedale dei Bastardini in via D'Azeglio in Bologna, it's the Bologna Water Design festival. The building itself is beautiful, courtyard, vaulted ceilings- a place to stay and explore. That's where we found ourselves looking for Tubes. We found them, but the journey much more more interesting.

The international partnership between Turkish Ceramics, The Architect's Journal and 6 of the best architecture practices around was a highlight. The Architect's Journal teamed up with Turkish Ceramics, who represent 37 Turkish ceramic manufacturers, to create a design challenge called "Kiosk". The word kiosk is derived from the Turkish "kosk" which translates as small communal space. And of course the brief included an aspect of water as well as the use of Turkish ceramics in the design.

 The clue was probably in the introduction by AJ's acting editor Rory Olcayto, "Kicking the Bottle". Water is beneficial for health and millions is spent on bottled water. Why not tackle the problem of readily accessible free water in a unique and environmentally friendly way. How could a water fountain be exhibited and used in 21st century London and by incorporating Turkish ceramics into the design.

The wow factory definitely kicked in. How different could six architectural practices view something that's mostly sole purpose was to distribute water? How different indeed. The architects in question were Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Adam Architecture, Hopkins Architects, Eric Parry Architects, Studio Weave and Zaha Hadid. Each practice had its own unique take from single fountains that could refill water bottles and offer water to a dog, to elaborate fountains.

For more info re Italian radiator products contact Radiating Interiors

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