The iconic Rondebosch Fountain will soon return to the Southern Suburbs. Construction workers have broken ground to install a new replica of the original fountain on the corner of Belmont and Main Road, five years after it was destroyed.
The restoration of the Rondebosch Fountain is undertaken by Heritage Castings, who have led the effort to reconstruct and resurrect the original fountain that was manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co. foundry in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1800s.
The original fountain had incredible detail and featured Victorian castings. This was no easy feat to create, as cast iron is an extremely heavy metal. Back then, only human effort and early aged tools were available.
It arrived in South Africa in 1891, and was donated to the people of Rondebosch by Mr. George Pigot Moodie to be used as a watering facility for draught horses. The lamp of the fountain was one of the first electric street lights in the area. The landmark was extremely significant and on April 10, 1964 it was declared a national monument.
Unfortunately, the historic Rondebosch landmark was damaged beyond repair when a driver smashed into the fountain in the early hours of August 25, 2015.
Heritage Castings recently shared images showing construction workers prepping the ground to install the fountain. Their hopes is for the fountain to have flowing water for passing dogs to sip on and for the lantern to provide some light in the evenings.
Picture/s: Facebook / Rondebosch Fountain
