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.

The original fountain before it was destroyed. Credit: Facebook / Rondebosch Fountain

Unfortunately, the historic Rondebosch landmark was damaged beyond repair when a driver smashed into the fountain in the early hours of August 25, 2015.

In 2017, Heritage Castings began the process of replicating the iconic Rondebosch feature. The foundry pattern maker, Steve Wood, spent 2000 hours hand making and carving all the different pieces with the individual designs.
The restoration of the Fountain is in cast aluminium rather than cast iron as it is more durable and does not rust. Very little to no maintenance will be needed in the coming years.
Steve Wood with the fountain pieces. Credit: Facebook / Rondebosch Fountain

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

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