Houghton-le-Spring, Rectory Park, fountain

HER Number:
15904

District:
Sunderland

Site Name:
Houghton-le-Spring, Rectory Park, fountain

Place:
Houghton-le-Spring

Map Sheet:
NZ34NW

Class:
Gardens Parks and Urban Spaces

Site Type: Broad:

Site Type: Specific:
Fountain

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19

Form of Evidence:
Structure

Description:
The fountain is shown on the Ordnance Survey first edition of 1858. The current fountain has been in place since the opening of the park in 1949. The rock in the centre of the fountain is of interest. A geologist suggested in 2010 that it is travertine, a form of limestone found in Italy. Who brought it to Houghton, how (it is a big piece of stone!) and why is unknown. The black painted railings which today surround the feature are a modern replacement of the original 1950s railings erected as a safety measure. Prior to this the feature was surrounded by a circular flower bed.

Easting:
3408

Northing:
4979

Grid Reference:
NZ34084979

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Paul Lanagan, Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Society, 2013, Houghton-le-Spring Rectory - A Walk Around the Grounds (www.houghtonlespring.org.uk); Northern Archaeological Associates Ltd. 2014, Rectory Park, Houghton-le-Spring, Archaeological Assessment and Building Recording