Fountain

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing decorative iron fountain, erected c.1875, positioned in Castle Gardens within circular pool.

Comprising decorative cast-iron tiered foliate centre-piece and two foliate bowls, with figures of birds to the lower bowl and a spout rising from the top bowl. The base is set into a metal square-plan base (possibly replacement) within a shallow mosaic-tiled circular pool with moulded granite sloped surround.

Historical information

The fountain is shown as part of the 1875-6 revisions to the 1859-61 town plan of Lisburn, sited in Castle Gardens.

The fountain was reputedly removed from Sir Richard Wallace’s residence in Paris, the Chateau de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne, and placed in front of ‘Marquis House’ which preceded Castle House (HB19/13/04) and was used by Wallace as his estate office. Wallace visited Lisburn in 1873, to a tumultuous welcome, and sent the fountain to Lisburn shortly afterwards.

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/8/17/1 – Lisburn Town Plan 1859-61 (rev.1875-6)
2. PRONI OS/8/17/2 – Lisburn Town Plan 1876
3. PRONI OS/8/17/3 – Lisburn Town Plan 1900-02

Secondary Sources

1. Letter from Brian Mackey to Dick Oram dated 19 September 1990

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Reputedly taken from Sir Richard Wallace’s residence in Paris, this decorative mid-nineteenth century cast-iron fountain expresses the typical late nineteenth-century taste for depicting flora and fauna in garden ornaments. Viewed as part of a wider collection of garden monuments, this fountain forms a focal point to the northwest end of the park providing both visual and aural pleasure to the visitor. Group value with the other listed structures in Castle gardens.