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This is the only historical structure that remains in Warley Woods today just above the children’s play area.  It was the second drinking fountain to be installed in Warley Park, soon after it was opened to the public with the first being known as  The Well.  There are two similar styled fountains in nearby Lightwoods Park.

The inscription on it reads: “This drinking fountain was presented to the City of Birmingham by Mr EM Pearson in memory of the late Mr Wilson Carter. Erection 1907”.    Mr Pearson and Mr Carter were partners in a coal and coke merchants in Birmingham and Alexander Chance secured the donation of the fountain, along with many other new park features.  

Many people remember drinking from the cups which hung from chains by the bowls. 
It used to have a cup on a chain and I don’t think we thought about hygiene then, it was just somewhere to get a drink of cold water. (Anthea Atherton)

And we have that water fountain and I can remember drinking from it.  There used to be an old tin cup and everyone drank out of it. Nowadays you’d be banned for life, you know. (Brian Lownes)

It was supposed to be drinking water, but we never knew was it fit for use.  We used to drink it when we were children but then we survived all sorts of things then. (Brian Simmonds)

They always used to have an old cast iron mug attached to a chain.  You was always told never put your mouth around that.  Fill it full of water and tip it up without touching it. (Robert Jones)

Vic Curtis was told by his grandmother to never ever drink from the fountain from the cast iron mug because there were lots of very poor families with children with impetigo and so his grandmother said: “if you drink from that you’ll get the collywobbles”.  

At some point the functions of the fountain were replaced by another “modern” water fountain that stood in front of it.

It features in many historical photographs which also start to document its decline.  By the time the Trust took over managing the site in 2004 it was almost unrecognisable.   The Trust restored it to its former glory in 2009 with a new roof structure, finials and replica lantern. We added our own inscription on the rear of the fountain body and included a time capsule.  The original restoration featured historically accurate clay tiles but they became so prone to vandalism that volunteers replaced them with cedar shingles which are surviving well.

Would you like to read about somewhere else on the history trail?  Go back to the main listing page.