Description

Circa 1830. Circular-section fountain house. Grey granite ashlar with machicolated coping. Conical roof of graded grey slates with ball finial at apex. Timber door.

Statement of Interest

The fountain house at Garthdee is a good, well-detailed example of its building type. It formed part of the City's second water scheme, overseen by the City's Chief Architect at the time, John Smith. The scheme played a significant role in the expansion of Aberdeen westward between 1830 and 1866. Two 50hp steam engines pumped water at a rate of 1000 gallons a minute to the cistern at what is now 478-484 Union Street (see separate listing).

The system helped to ameliorate outbreaks of cholera in the 1830s and 1840s. It was superseded in 1862-6 by the gravitational system extracting from the Dee at Cairnton. The fountain house subsequently served Richard and Company, Bleachfield.

The fountain house was formerly situated 200 yards to the SE with a 200-yard tunnel filtering water from the River Dee. It was restored and relocated to its present position in the 1990s.

List description revised, 2011.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56625516

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)