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Summary

Remains of ornamental fountain of at least late 19th century date

Monument Type(s):

• FOUNTAIN (Late 19th century - 1880 AD? to 1880 AD)

Full Description

A West Berkshire Rights of Way officer reported that the remains of a fountain were still visible in the grounds of Purley Park, a landscape park probably dating to the early 19th century <1>. The fountain is marked on historic Ordnance Survey mapping, most clearly on the 3rd epoch <2>. It lies to the south of the Great Western Railway which was constructed through the park in c1840.

The fountain is apparently made of Coade Stone, an artifical stone made from balled clay with various additives put into moulds and fired over a long period in a furnace <3>. The Coade Stone Works originated as a family business in Lambeth, and operated from the 1760s until the 1830s.

[Note from Stuart Higgins, WBC Right of Way Officer - probably informed of fountain's history by Project Purley group.]

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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