A Victorian drinking fountain has been restored to its original location following conservation, but it is not fully functional and cannot dispense drinking water.
The Princes Circus fountain was installed in 1879 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 60th year on the throne, but was originally in a different location.
It used to be a bit further north, on the junction of New Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, opposite Coptic Street. In 2003, it was moved to sit in a fenced-off island space outside the Shaftesbury Theatre.
It disappeared for a few years while the space outside was pedestrianised and refurbished, and was restored back to roughly the same location a few weeks ago.
But not in working order.
The original plans didn’t include restoring it to working order, but did require a water supply to be provided should funding later permit a full restoration. However, in 2024, permission was granted to omit the water connection entirely because it was deemed too disruptive to run the water pipe under the paving from the opposite side of the road.
So, yes, there’s an ex-drinking fountain sitting in the middle of the plaza outside the theatre, and while of historical interest, its functionality is now limited to being nothing more than a few granite steps to sit on while waiting for someone.
A seriously missed opportunity.
