The historical Rondebosch Fountain has stood on Main Road since 1891. Recently it was removed due to damage and the original fountain was not salvageable. However, the Victorian-era landmark will be replicated by Heritage Castings - a local company - and returned to its original location.
The replica will be identical to the original, using vintage references such as photographs, drawing and blueprints. It will be recreated in Heritage Castings’ own foundry in Cape Town using traditional green sand moulding techniques to closely resemble the original fountain.
The pattern-maker for the new fountain is 79-year-old Steve Wood. He has dedicated over 2000 hours of his life to this restoration so far, ensuring that each mould is as close to the original as possible. Wood has hand-built and carved all of the different pieces of the new fountain out of wood in preparation for the moulding process.
The history of the Rondebosch Fountain
The Rondebosch Fountain was donated to the local municipality by George Pigot Moodie in 1891. It was intended to be a watering facility for draught horses passing through the Southern Suburbs, but the fountain became somewhat of a landmark.
It was manufactured by Walter MacFarlane & Co. at the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, Scotland, before being shipped to the Cape. The Saracen Foundry was renowned for its decorative iron castings, such as ornate railings, bandstands, street lamps and drinking fountains.
The foundry’s attention to detail was impeccable. Walter MacFarlane & Co. specialised in Victorian castings with fine details and ornate patterns. The casting process was hard work due to the weight of the iron and the extreme temperatures.
In those days, everything was hand-made. Walter MacFarlane employed around 1300 men and had an extensive (~2000 page) catalogue of products.
The Rondebosch Fountain arrived in South Africa in September 1891, after which it was donated to the people by Moodie, a local land surveyor and gold mining magnate. The lamp of the fountain was the first electric street light in Rondebosch. Such was the fountain’s significance to the locals that it was declared a National Monument in April 1964.
The last years of the Rondebosch Fountain
The original fountain was black and gold, keeping these colours for just over a century. It was then painted dark green in 2011 by the local municipality. The replica will take on the original black and gold colours.
According to news reports on 25 August 2015, a driver of a motor vehicle smashed into the Rondebosch Fountain in the early hours of the morning. It was damaged beyond repair. In May 2017, the fountain was removed from its long-standing spot on the intersection of Main Road and Belmont Road.
Since then, thousands of hours of work have gone into the restoration of the Rondebosch Fountain. The replica fountain will be made from cast aluminium instead of iron as it is more durable and will not rust over time. This means that it will require less maintenance during its lifetime.
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Follow the progress of the replica Rondebosch Fountain via its Facebook page.
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