Historic Fountain Feature Returns to March After 61 Years

A significant component of a historic fountain has been brought back to a town centre, 61 years after its initial removal. The domed Coronation Fountain, situated on Broad Street in March, Cambridgeshire, was inaugurated in January 1912 to mark the coronation of King George V. Upon its original installation, the fountain featured a 2m (6ft) drinking apparatus, equipped with four chained cups. This particular segment was taken out and sold in 1963. The family that acquired it has now provided it on loan to a local museum. This loan occurs concurrently with the recent restoration and reinstallation of the primary 8m (25ft) high fountain structure, which currently lacks a water feature, following its 15-month removal. Gordon Thorpe, 72, who chairs the March and District Museum, stated that the drinking feature was divested by the council of the time for £5 in 1963. This decision was made because it presented an impediment to motorists at the Broad Street junction. He recounted, “From then until around 2012, it appeared in a garden in nearby Wimblington before going into storage in Manea.” Mr Thorpe added, “We think it is an iconic structure; it has been offered to us on loan, and with its history and heritage, we accepted it.” Mr Thorpe mentioned that numerous local residents express a desire to see the drinking feature rejoined with the principal section of the Coronation Fountain. The fountain now occupies a different site, positioned near its initial spot in the road’s centre, but within an expansive pedestrianised zone, which would not obstruct drivers’ visibility. He further stated: “A family will from the current owners has a clause in it stating that the feature should never be returned to the council, as they sold it off in the first place. It was, in effect, rescued by the family.” According to Mr Thorpe, the museum possesses records and newspaper accounts from the period of the drinking feature’s sale, which indicated that the public generally was “pleased to see it go”. He described it as: “It is an extremely heavy cast iron piece made up of three sections, and it will need some restoration.” He concluded by saying, “We won’t be able to house it inside the museum; the floor wouldn’t take it, so it will be displayed in due course in an outdoor space at the back of the building, but I think it will cause some interest because it is an iconic local item.”