Magic memories of Ross Fountain in full flow one fine morning
On walking through Princes Street Gardens, I stopped to admire the Ross Fountain. With the castle as a magnificent backdrop it made for an iconic image that has been enshrined in Edinburgh’s reputation as a modern city with splendid views and architecture.
Many moons ago as Convener of the City Council’s Recreation Committee, the Gardens and the Fountain came under one of my many remits.
At that time the Fountain had been running dry for several years which was a crying shame as it was deprived of the very thing it was designed for-water. I resolved to rectify the situation forthwith and with the invaluable help of my colleague Councillor Bob Cairns, we did just that.
Apparently, there was a drainage problem which had not attracted the Council funding required to rectify it so it was left to impersonate a statue rather than the superb working fountain that took pride of place at the 1862 International Exhibition (Great Exhibition) in London. Seen by local philanthropist, Douglas Ross, he bought it for £2000 and gifted it to the city.
Bob was the Chairman of East of Scotland Water at the time, and he came up trumps when he managed to enlist it’s support for a project to restore the fountain to its former glory. Work commenced and the newly refurbished fountain was revealed at a press event one bright morning. The “great and the good” were all there as were Bob and me, posing for photographs, confident that our “ugly mugs” would be plastered over the next day’s newspapers.
But in the words of the idiom “there is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip” we were outdone. From out of nowhere a young woman turned up, wearing a colourful raincoat and sou’wester, holding an open umbrella she proceeded to walk around the perimeter of the fountain under the protection provided by her brolly. Photographers rushed to record the event, and we knew then that the public had a more pleasing image in store for them next morning.
C’est la vie, Bob.