An elaborate fountain with canopy sold by Walter Macfarlane & Co, made at the Saracen Foundry, Possilpark. The illustration is from the firm's catalogue published in 1911. Variations and optional extras are described in the text.
The catalogue's claims regarding the benefits of fountains were far from modest: "A supply of drinking water to the outdoor population, and also to the lower animals, is now an acknowledged necessity of the changed circumstances of the times and the growing intelligence of the community, encouraging habits of temperance and humanity, and promoting the physical improvement of the people."
Despite doubts about the suitability of cast iron as a material for outdoor fountains, Macfarlane's were able to sell drinking fountains all over the world.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC f672.2506541443 MCF
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
canopies, cast iron, foundries, fountains, iron founders, ornamental ironwork, Saracen Foundry, trade catalogues, Walter Macfarlane & Co
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