Posted Sunday 30th August 2020
Henry Fearon and the Fearon Fountain
Henry Fearon (1802-1885) was Rector of Loughborough, All Saints, from 1848 until his death in 1885. During his time in Loughborough, Fearon was a keen advocate of the benefits of a clean water supply, especially as Loughborough had not escaped the cholera pandemics of the nineteenth-century. According to the World Health Organisation, cholera is a bacterial infection:
"Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae."
Providing the people of Loughborough with a clean water supply, not contaminated by being in close proximity to cesspits and butcher's and animal waste, was something that Fearon had long campaigned for, and which eventually saw the creation of Nanpantan Reservoir, and the installation of a town drinking fountain.
One of the
main legacies of Archdeacon Fearon’s long association with Loughborough is the
Fearon Fountain which stands in the Market Place. This was erected in 1870, and
was presented to the town by Fearon who funded the fountain himself, and
commemorates the installation of the first fresh, clean piped water supply to
the town, for which Fearon had advocated so strongly.
The public dedication ceremony, which took place on Wednesday 31 August 1870, was well-attended, both by town dignitaries and other folk, the turnout being almost as good as during elections, and those who weren’t able to be in the Market Place, were apparently hanging out of their windows, looking down on the proceedings.
Fearon’s rationale for giving the town a drinking fountain was because he strongly believed that a plentiful supply of fresh water was essential to fighting off diseases, and he was quite convinced that folk would be willing to decrease their consumption of alcohol in order to pay an extra twopence on their taxes for the water supply!
The report of the dedication ceremony that appeared in the Leicester Journal[i], describes the fountain as being made of Portland stone, and 10 foot tall. The lower section, with its inset marble drinking basins, is joined to the upper section with polished granite columns[ii], and atop the stone canopy is a double light glove lantern. An inscription runs around the top of the lower level, and reads:
“Our common mercies loudly call,
For praise to God, who gives them
all.”
a phrase that was read out in conclusion of the dedication ceremony, by Edward Chatterton Middleton, the chairman of the Board of Health.
The sculptor responsible for the creation of the fountain was James Forsyth, originally from Kelso in Scotland, but at the time of the commission, based in London and an established stonemason. James was the son of an architect, and the oldest of four children, the youngest of whom, William, was also a sculptor. By the time he came to sculpt the Fearon fountain, James was very experienced at his craft, having been involved in, amongst other things, the renovation of Wells Cathedral.
James was present at the dedication ceremony, and was introduced to members of the Board of Health, and joined them in giving three cheers for Archdeacon Fearon.
During March 1870, the Board of Health had asked the sculptor to incorporate in the fountain design, a suitable tablet marking the donation of the fountain to the people of Loughborough, which request was duly enacted. More recently, following renovation in 1981 by local sculptor, David Tarver, a brass tablet on the fountain now reads:
“The Fearon Fountain
Presented to the town by
Archdeacon Fearon
To mark the provision of
Loughborough’s
First public water supply in 1870
Renovated as part of the
Market Place enhancement
1981”
Further renovation work took place in 1999, and another plaque installed to celebrate this:
“Archdeacon Fearon’s fountain
Restored by
Charnwood Borough Council
23rd February 1999”
Subsequent renovation took place in 2013, and a dedication service was held on 7th April, 2013, at which the Mayor of Charnwood, Diane Wise, snipped the ribbon, in the presence of many people, including representatives from the town’s Twinning Association, as water flowed through the lion’s head for the first time in many years. The stonework was again cleaned, and revealed on 31st August 2018, on the occasion of the 148th anniversary of the donation of the fountain.
The year 2020 sees the 150th anniversary of the installation of the fountain. There were to have been many celebratory events held across Loughborough, and there were plans to re-introduce a regular water supply to the fountain, however, the coronavirus pandemic has stalled these celebrations.
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| The Fearon Fountain in the Market Place, Loughborough, August 2020 |
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| The plaque noting the 1981 renovation work |
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| The plaque noting the 1999 renovation work |
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| Snipping the ribbon at the re-dedication ceremony in 2013 |
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| Fountain detail |
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| Fountain detail |
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| Fountain detail |
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| Nanpantan Reservoir |
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| Nanpantan Reservoir |
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| Nanpantan Reservoir |
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| Nanpantan Reservoir |
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| Nanpantan Reservoir |
[i] Leicester Journal
2 September 1870, pg 7
[ii] Ibid. The report in the
Leicester Journal suggests the polished granite columns are granite from
Cornwall, while the English Heritage listing suggests they are made of Aberdeen
granite. Given that the architects were from Scotland, the latter seems likely:
given that the architects were working from London, the former seems likely!!
For further accounts of Fearon on this blog, please see:
Death and funeral of Henry Fearon
There's also a pictorial post about Nanpantan Reservoir.
For a rather more obtuse link to Fearon see this post on Railton, Taylors and Fearon.
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