** WDC SMOLLETT FOUNTAIN UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2024 **
WDC REGENERATION: SMOLLETT FOUNTAIN UPDATE
it’s been a while since the last update, which is not untypical of projects involving traditional skills and materials: the nature of this kind of work means that there are long periods of apparent inactivity while contractors wait on materials such as sandstone and iron. Furthermore, carving of stone for the gargoyles and the wooden templates (or patterns) for the missing parts of the heron are specialisms that are time-consuming.
It won't have gone unnoticed that the scaffolding has now been removed from the fountain to allow the contractor to begin work on the four largest ground level basins. Although in an ideal world the scaffolding would have remained until the heron had been fully repaired, this became impractical since the scaffolding was preventing work at lower levels. Instead, the heron will be installed from a mobile platform which will be exciting to watch!
Currently, with patterns for new wings and legs for the heron having been carved, there are moulds being created at the iron foundry (out of green sand) that will allow the replacement parts to be made in molten iron. These parts will then be 2 returned to the blacksmith who has the body of the heron safe in his workshop. He will attach them and pass the completed sculpture to a specialist who will apply gilding.
In the meantime, passers-by can now admire the eight replacement gargoyles all carved from scratch and unobtrusively signed by the stonemason Roddy MacDowall. They look suitably fierce. The four lowest gargoyles act as drains to the first tier basins (which have been lined in lead and infilled with a sedum planting mix).
Presently, the feature lighting scheme for the fountain is being fine-tuned. There will be spotlights to light the heron, and sophisticated LED strip lights to illuminate the lions’ heads. In the four lowest basins there will be colour changing ground lights. Once all of the lights have been installed a specialist programmer will be coming to site from Edinburgh to install lighting controls that will allow a range of different colour schemes to be applied throughout the year.
(WDC Regeneration)
