Standing 46 feet tall and 70 feet across the base, the Doulton Fountain in Glasgow Green is considered the largest terracotta fountain in the world.
The five-tier fountain was designed by renowned ceramics manufacturer The Doulton Company, also responsible for the dazzling front façade of the Russell Hotel in London’s Russell Square and the Maison Doulton near Paris.
It was created in honour of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 and was originally erected on the opposite end of the city in Kelvingrove Park.
The fountain was designed in French Renaissance style with red terracotta bricks and an iron framework. Terracotta was chosen for its durability, but the fountain is turned off during the winter months as it is susceptible to frost damage.
Queen Victoria sits at the top, followed by four maidens, and four sentries representing Scotland, England, Ireland and the Royal Navy. The fountain also depicts Britain’s four former colonies: Australia, Canada, South Africa and India. The crest of Glasgow adorns its basin.
In 1894, the fountain was struck by lightning, damaging the sculpture of Queen Victoria. Restoring this feature proved difficult as the queen’s statue moulds had broken, but Doulton Company founder Sir Henry Doulton paid for a replacement.
In the 1970s the fountain began to fall out of use, with no water able to flow out of it. It was moved twice before settling outside the People’s Palace in 2004, and the following year it underwent a multi-million-pound restoration.
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