Ross Fountain

Princes Street Gardens

Below are two postcards in the PPC Philco Series.  Both are views of the Ross Fountain in West Princes Street Gardens, with the castle in the background.  Both are from the same negative, but the first is mono and the second has been coloured.

History of the Fountain

The fountain was cast in iron by Durenne of Paris for an International Exhibition in Paris in 1862.  When gunsmith Danniel Ross saw it, he purchased it and donated it to the City of Edinburgh in 1867. 

It was shipped to Leith in 122 pieces then transferred by road the three miles to Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.  It was still awaiting assembly in Princes Street Gardens when Daniel Ross died in 1871.

The statue was described as "having 4 female figures ; seated between them semi-circular basins with consoles, surmounted by a standing figure above the basins and nymphs".  An article in 1869 described it as "one of the most elaborate and ornate structures of its class in Europe"

Today

The fountain is now looking attractive again, following its restoration in the 1990s.  The water is now flowing again.

 Sources:

-  The Buildings of Scotland:  Edinburgh
-  Catalogue of Monuments and Burial Grounds, Vol 4.