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- Sep 14, 2002
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That sounds like an interesting article David. I did a few searches earlier, but couldn't turn anything up. The drinking fountain definitely looks familiar though. It's weird when they move stuff, as it puts it out of context. Sheffield had a famous marble horse-trough, which had a story behind it, I forget what. It was moved many years ago. By coincidence, I actually know where it is (or where it was 50 years ago), in an obscure field on the edge of Sheffield, where I used to sometimes play football as a kidThe Botanical Gardens certainly had a fountain at one time, though I don't know if it is the same one. The Sheffield parks are full of old statues and monuments. The Botanical Gardens does have the old Crimean War monument, which stood in the centre previously, but they chopped it down considerably when they moved it!
I guess all towns had a lot of drinking fountains at one time, and while some of them were then inoperable, I do remember a lot of them when I was a kid. Here's an old one, near Fagan's, I photographed a few years back
Hey Jack thanks for posting those photos.
I can't believe the vandalism of that Crimea War monument; shocking. 
I went on a search for images in Sheffield in the hope I'd find a random photo of the Queen Victoria fountain in a park somewhere. I didn't find one but I did find this discussion which includes photos of a fountain/trough on Handsworth Road. Maybe the one your thinking of?
https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/topic/4256-drinking-fountains/
It also has an original picture that looks like the one near Fagan's.
I can remember some of the old drinking fountains, most of them did not work as you stated, but i have seen a few kept in working order. But i do remember when i was growing up old water trough's for horses and cattle. They were not everywhere, but still quite a few dotted around Melbourne, especially near where there had been old Markets. There are still a few around our old New Market Sale Yards that have been preserved, but the actual yards are a eyesore of cheap apartments. But most country towns still had working stock troughs when i was a kid, a lot of the pubs still had them right out the front, on the footpath.
Thanks for posting those. I found this link to the Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Fountain in Melbourne.
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/th...isplay/31801-golden-jubilee-of-queen-victoria
I've just been trying to take a bit off the choil/guard on this thing as the tip stands minutely proud of the frame.
actually that is NOT hyperbole.
I know most/all of those drinking fountains 
. Was going to play golf today but it's a no-go!
