The Buxton Memorial Fountain was created to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834. The fountain as commissioned by Charles Buxton, and he had it dedicated to his father Thomas Folwell Buxton, as well as William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Henry Brougham and Stephen Lushington, all of whom were forces in abolition. The design of the water featurewas created by gothic architect Samuel Sanders Teulon. The feature was built in 1865, which was also the passing of the Thirteenth amendment in the United States which ended the western slave trade.
The outdoor fountain was to be constructed in Parliament Square at a cost of 1200 Euros. However in a post war redesign of the square, it was removed in 1949 and relocated to the Victoria Tower Gardens in 1957. The water element featured eight ornate garden figurines of the British Rulers on it, with four of them being stolen in 1960, and the other four stolen in 1971. These figures were redone in fiberglass and added to the fountain again in 1980. Unfortunately by 2005, the figures were again missing, and the fountain was no longer working. From 2006 to 2007 there were restoration works done to the fountain. The fountain was unveiled in 2007 for the 200th anniversary of the act to abolish the slave trade.
The modern design of the fountain features an octagonal shape about 12 feet in diameter. It has open arches on all eight sides which are supported by clustered shafts of Devonshire marble. This is all around a central shaft, and there are four massive granite basins. The figures that are located at the angles of the pinnacles of the octagon represent, to name a few, Caractus for the Britons, Constantine for the Romans, William the conqueror for the Normans, and clear to Queen Victoria.
There is an inscription on the fountain which says it is, "intended as a memorial of those members of Parliament who, with Mr. Wilberforce, advocated the abolition of the British slave-trade, achieved in 1807; and of those members of Parliament who, with Sir T. Fowell Buxton, advocated the emancipation of the slaves throughout the British dominions, achieved in 1834. It was designed and built by Mr. Charles Buxton, M.P., in 1865, the year of the final extinction of the slave-trade and of the abolition of slavery in the United States." In 1859 a memorial plaque was also added for the 150th anniversary of the Anti-Slavery Society.
The fountain is not just a memorial, but also a drinking fountain. It is often an inconspicuous fountain, but us truly a lovely little fountain to view. It features a creative blend of old and new styles, which when combined, create an exotic and cathedral like focal point. The construction of the fountain incorporated the use of pink and grey granite, limestone, grey and red sandstone, wrought iron, metalwork, and terracotta to name a few. The blend truly results in an amazing as well as meaningful water work of art!
