UK-based industrial archaeologist Peter Perkins was curious about the Fitzgerald Fountain in Mumbai as it had an uncanny similarity to another fountain – the Market Square Fountain at Northamptonshire, England.
The restored Fitzgerald Fountain at the Metro Cinema Junction in south Mumbai since October last year, owes some of the credit for its new lease of life to its ‘twin’ in the UK, a report in the Indian Express, says.
Dumped on the lawns behind the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, the cast iron Mumbai fountain had been left to perish till a few years ago. It took a team of 150 members, comprising experts and staff members, to restore the 157-year-old structure, which had over 500 missing parts.
The Fitzgerald Fountain was built in 1867 at the Metro Junction in Dhobi Talao to mark the arrival of Sir William Robert Seymour Vesey-Fitzgerald, who served as Governor of Bombay from 1867 to 1872. Over the years, however, the structure was pulled down and dumped at a spot behind the museum.
How the structure’s restoration began, started with the BMC project to restore all heritage structures with cultural value a few years ago. Among several others, the cast iron fountain lying neglected for decades was also taken up.
The restoration team soon realised that the structure had over 500 missing parts, including a lamp at the top, but had no clue what exactly these pieces looked like.
Without any information on the original design, they found it practically impossible to proceed any further. Then their search led them to the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum which then connected them to UK-based industrial archaeologist Peter Perkins.
Perkins had earlier written to the museum to enquire about the Fitzgerald Fountain for a book he had been researching. He was curious about the structure as it had an uncanny similarity to another fountain – the Market Square Fountain at Northamptonshire. The structure was erected in 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
“During the communication, we realised that the Fitzgerald Fountain in India and the Market Square Fountain in the UK were identical to each other,” said an official from the Heritage Cell of the BMC.
Without any information on the original design, they found it practically impossible to proceed any further. Then their search led them to the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum which then connected them to UK-based industrial archaeologist Peter Perkins.
Soon the restoration team got leads on the missing pieces of the Fitzgerald Fountain, including the lamp.
Eventually the team finished the restoration work of the 44 ft x 13 ft fountain. The structure was then moved to the Metro Junction in October 2020, marking a return to its former pride of place.
“Curiously, while the Market Square Fountain in the UK was also pulled down and only three of its pieces survive there in a museum, here we have managed to restore it to its original glory,” the official added.
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