The history of the Whish Sister's fountain
Situated in The Sanctuary Garden, Sandford Park, the fountain was donated by the three Whish sisters to the town. The sisters had long been members of St Stephen’s church and donated the fountain in 1891 to commemorate their 50 years as Cheltenham residents. It was to ‘give refreshment to many a thirsty little child and weary man and woman, a present to the town, by three of St Stephen’s oldest friends’.
Erected in 1901, it was designed and carved by the ecclesiastical sculptor A.B. Wall of Whaddon Road. The fountain with its weathervane was 22ft high with a canopy carved out of a solid piece of Seaton stone 7ft square. It was originally sited in Westall Green.
In 1919 the town was given a redundant WW1 tank in thanks for the town’s war effort and the tank was placed beside the fountain. On its journey to the ceremony beside the fountain it broke down three times on the way from St. James Station and arrived two hours late. The speech referred to it as being a “lady” tank!
In 1929 the fountain was moved to the Keynsham Road end of Sandford Park when the Westall improvement scheme, including the building of the petrol station, was carried out, but the fountain has lost its weathervane.
Situated in The Sanctuary Garden, Sandford Park, the fountain was donated by the three Whish sisters to the town. The sisters had long been members of St Stephen’s church and donated the fountain in 1891 to commemorate their 50 years as Cheltenham residents. It was to ‘give refreshment to many a thirsty little child and weary man and woman, a present to the town, by three of St Stephen’s oldest friends’.
Erected in 1901, it was designed and carved by the ecclesiastical sculptor A.B. Wall of Whaddon Road. The fountain with its weathervane was 22ft high with a canopy carved out of a solid piece of Seaton stone 7ft square. It was originally sited in Westall Green.
In 1919 the town was given a redundant WW1 tank in thanks for the town’s war effort and the tank was placed beside the fountain. On its journey to the ceremony beside the fountain it broke down three times on the way from St. James Station and arrived two hours late. The speech referred to it as being a “lady” tank!
In 1929 the fountain was moved to the Keynsham Road end of Sandford Park when the Westall improvement scheme, including the building of the petrol station, was carried out, but the fountain has lost its weathervane.