Admiral Beatty and Admiral Jellicoe Memorial Fountains, Trafalgar Square

Description

The fountains n of Nelson have quatrefoil granite basins by Barry, intended both for ornament and to hinder too large a crowd from gathering. Their centrepieces are by Lutyens, 1939. (Bradley & Pevsner, 2003, p.374)

Fountains and Terrace Walls 5.2.70 with Lampstandards, steps and stone bollards enclosing the Square G.V. II* Walls, steps and bollards enclosing the open space of the square and its 2 fountains. 1840, by Sir Charles Barry as a formal setting for Nelson’s Column, the actual fountains remodelled 1939 to the designs of Sir Edwin Lutyens with sculpture by Sir Charles Wheeler and W McMillan. Granite with bronze lampstandards and sculpture. Barry defined and levelled the oblong open space of the square with heavy granite retaining terrace-walls on 3 sides with steps and statue pedestals in the north-east and north-west corners and a “screen” of massive granite bollards across the level south side linking with the base of Nelson’s Column. Plinth base to walls and heavy, segmental roll-lipped coping; the south ends of the east and west flanks terminate in tall circular pedestals surmounted by polygonal bronze lanterns, that to east serving as a police post. Set into the north terrace wall, below the balustraded parapet, are bronze plates of the Imperial Standards of Length and against the wall busts of Admirals Jellicoe, Beatty and Cunningham by C. Wheeler and W. McMillan, 1948. The terrace walls are surmounted at intervals by bronze lampstandards with Nico lanterns, those flanking the head of the steps to the north being elaborated with the same polygonal lanterns as those on the southern terminal circular pedestals. The fountain basins, square in plan with large “apses” to each side also have deeply lipped granite retaining walls; the marble “vase” fountains by Lutyens and the bronze Mermen and Mermaid groups in the basins respectively by Wheeler and McMillan. Trafalgar Square, known as such from 1830, owes its town planning origin to an initial proposal of Nash’s in 1811-12, fully elaborated and laid out as the major executed feature of Nash’s Metropolitan – West Strand Improvements of 1824-26. (Historic England, list entry 1066235)

Bibliography

Bradley S & Pevsner N (2003) LONDON 6: WESTMINSTER. The Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Historic England.FOUNTAINS AND TERRACE WALLS WITH LAMPSTANDARDS, STEPS AND STONE BOLLARDS ENCLOSING THE SQUARE. [Online] Available from: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1066235

Also Cited In

Butler, A., 1950. The architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens: the Lutyens memorial series. Vol III: Town and Public Buildings: Memorials: The Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool, Country Life: London and Scibners: New York.

Listing Grade

II*

Listing Reference

1066235

Client