Page 14 - The Tale of Two Fountains

The Old Town Pump after its relocation in 1863
The town also served as a livestock trading centre for the surrounding countryside. Some animals were penned and sold on the Market Square1, while the adjacent streets were also used for animal trading, as commemorated in some of the surviving streets names – Sheep Street, Marefair, Horsemarket. In 1873 all this activity was moved to purpose-built facilities at Cow Meadow, adjacent to Beckets Park (this site now houses a food supermarket).
The Market Square has had a number of fea- tures over the years and the earliest references to a cross date back to the 14th century although there may have been a central stone cross prior to this2. Other features include the Great Con- duit built in 1481 in the south eastern part of the Square. It was a building, two or three sto- reys high, built on arches with a semi-public room used as a Trade Hall. It was supplied with water through pipes from a spring to the east – hence the narrow lane to the south, between the Square and Mercers Row is named as Conduit Lane. The second Market Cross was built on the
THE TALE OF TWO FOUNTAINS
Square in 1535, an imposing octagonal building for people to trade in according to the local by-laws. This Market Cross was destroyed in the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675. In 1780, an Obelisk was erected in the centre of the Square and it survived until 1805. The Obelisk was replaced sometime before 1815 by an ornamental cast iron water pump for the market traders and in 1826 a fluted cast iron column carrying a gas lamp was added. It is believed that this column was made at the Eagle Foundry. In 1863 the pump was moved to the junction of Derngate and Cheyne Walk, near the Thomas Becket’s well.
The Square also acted as a deterrent against crime as many people were publicly humiliated in a pil- lory. Such a structure existed until 1634 in the south east corner. This structure was not permanent but was erected on the Square as needed.
The Market Square was a popular space for outdoor civic events. One such event took place when Queen Mary visited the town on the 23rd September 1913 when a special dais was erected in the Square to welcome the Royals. Another major historical event which took place in February 1952 on the steps of the fountain, was the Proclamation of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne by the then Mayor, Councillor Frank Lee.
After the fire in 1675, new buildings were constructed on more or less the same alignment as the previous buildings that had been destroyed. Some improvements were made to the corners of the Square, between the Drapery and Sheep Street and between Market Square and Abington Street.
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