A newly restored fountain has run dry just weeks after a ceremony to mark the end of a £400,000 overhaul which took 10 months to complete.
The Victoria Fountain, in Old Steine, sputtered to a halt as the result of a burst pipe and, even when repaired, won’t be switched back on until next spring.
Water is piped to the fountain from a borehole but the damage to the pipe was not caused by the restoration work, Brighton and Hove City Council said.
Old Steine Community Association chair Gary Farmer contacted councillors after he spotted that the fountain and its lights had been switched off for more than a week.
Mr Farmer said: “Old Steine is an area of significant neglect, of graffiti, anti-social behaviour, littering and vandalism.
“All of which has never been addressed by the council despite five years of petitioning independently and through the Valley Gardens Forum and the Old Steine Community Association.
“Now we are back to square one again, back to a dark and depressing, dangerously unwelcoming Old Steine, a nightmarish black hole in the city’s heart.
“What should be a centrepiece to be proud of is a no-go area. The Victoria Fountain brought life and light to the area and now it stagnates in the depressing winter gloom crowned with broken bottles and bird droppings.”
Even without water, Mr Farmer said, the fountain should still be lit up, just as the Mazda Fountain in Victoria Gardens is lit up and flowing every day.
But the council said: “Unfortunately, the Victoria Fountain has experienced a burst water supply pipe from the borehole that feeds it.
“This issue is entirely unconnected with the restoration work we have recently carried out. We are working hard to get it fully repaired as soon as possible.
“However, we always shut both the Victoria Fountain and the Mazda Fountain down each winter. They will reopen at the beginning of March.
“The Victoria Fountain will not now be switched back on and the Mazda Fountain will be shut down next week.
“The Mazda Fountain is not supplied by borehole water so has not been affected by the burst water pipe.
“We will also be carrying out modifications to the Victoria Fountain to help prevent water drift that occurs during windy weather.”
The mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, formally reopened the Victoria Fountain at a ceremony on Wednesday 11 October.
The grade II listed fountain was financed by John Cordy Burrows and by public subscription – 19th century crowdfunding – to celebrate Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne in 1837.
The Brighton sculptor William Pepper created the fountain’s ornamental dolphins.
Par for the course from a Council that has no interest in preserving or restoring Brighton’s heritage. Examples: Black Rock Swimming Pool, Marine Parade Arches, Victorian lights, West Pier, Volks Railway Station at Black Rock, the Regrncy Lift, etc., etc.
So Vain they rather waste 25k on shite temporary lights under the neglected Madera Terraces.
25k Would be great spent actually repairing them
The Tories have ruined the UK
Shame they couldn’t fix the pipe sooner
This was tactical voting getting the greens out for Labour
Let’s hope Bella Makes the Terraces A Priority for our Heritage
Yes because that’s what Brighton needed a 400k fountain. What happened to being on the brink of bankruptcy BHCC ? I guess there mates fix fountains too
Yes we do need a 400k fountain, personally I like t see some pf my council tax money going into projects to make the city look good. I hardly benefit from anything of my £2,750 a year council tax. 50% of it goes onto adult social care which includes drug and alchol addicts. Most people on benefits don’t even pay the concil tax and it’s hardly value for money fot the ones that do. The trouble with Brighton is the majority of people on benefits think everything should be made accessible to them. I like to see more of my money on renivating things like fountains , flowerbeds etc.
Does make you wonder how other cities manage to keep their fountains running all year round?
I don’t think the fountain will resolve the amount of drug addicts.
“…its lights had been switched off for more than a week.”
I went past there last Thursday evening, it was lit up then!
Sorry you’re mistaken, hasn’t been on for over a week – confirmed by the council and residents and businesses on Old Steine.
The fountain is disgusting anyway. It should be smashed up and the pieces should be thrown into the sea.
What is disgusting about it? When it is working and lit up, it is a very attractive centrepiece in what has become a no-go area thanks to the ghastly idiots, with their anti-social behaviour. It is they who should be thrown in the sea. At least it would give them a wash.
Fountains always need to be turned off in winter as they freeze up and ruin the pumps. Can’t they just leave the lights on?
How comes all the london fountains stay on in the winter months then? The ones in Trafalger Square are on all year round.
The london fountains stay on in the winter months then? The ones in Trafalger Square are on all year round.
From the council
With regard to the lighting your suggestion is not technically achievable as the lights only work when they are submerged in water and cannot be switched on independently otherwise they could burn out, generating unnecessary costly repairs.
As you are aware the fountain has been switched off and drained for the modifications and winter maintenance.
Many thanks,
Angela
Angela Dymott
City Architect. B (Arch) Hons. Dip Arch. ARB. RIBA. MACM.
Assistant Director, Property & Design. Economy, Environment & Culture