Doulton Fountain, Glasgow

Of all the monuments in Glasgow, the most impressive is undoubtedly the Doulton Fountain in Glasgow Green Park.

The fountain is the largest remaining fountain built of terracotta in the world. It was commissioned by Sir Henry Doulton, a ceramic manufacturer in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It was built by students from the Lambeth School of Art and unveiled for the International Exhibition in Kelingrove Park in 1898. After the exhibition it was given to the city and it was placed in the park, in front of the People’s Palace Museum in 1890.

The fountain is 14 metres high and 70 metres across the base. On top is a statue of Queen Victoria. Beneath her, statues of female water carriers spill water to the next basin. Under the water carriers are statues representing servicemen from the Black Watch, the Irish Fusiliers, the Grenadier Guards and the Royal Navy.

Water spouts from lion masks, which represent the symbol of England, around the upper basin. Beneath this are statues which stand for Canada, Australia, India and South Africa – the four main countries of the British Empire.

In the nineteen sixties the water supply was cut off and the fountain fell into a state of disrepair. It was restored in 2003 and is considered a symbol of Glasgow.