Page 44 - The Tale of Two Fountains

THE TALE OF TWO FOUNTAINS
had taken during our visit to Mumbai in 2000. We confirmed to him that this is the identical fountain to the one that once stood in Northampton’s Market Square.
Peter Perkins had written to the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum seeking information about the Fitzger- ald Fountain for his book and was interested to see the similarities between the two fountains. He gave us the contact name of Sanjay Adhav, Senior Heritage Conservation Engineer with the MCGM, who has been very helpful during our research work. We were pleased when Mr Adhav informed us that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, through its Heritage Department, had decided to fund the Conservation Project for the fountain and relocate it near its original location in front of the Metro Cinema.
In the last few years, we have always been certain that the Isaac and Fitzgerald Fountains were iden- tical. However, we needed some documentary evidence. We learnt that in February 2019, while Mr Adhav was checking the composition of the structure, he noticed a number engraved on the inner side of the panels. This was a six digit number with a diamond mark next to it. This six digit number (171196) was the patent or the design registration number which we believe matched the number of the design drawing of the Market Square fountain recorded at the British National Archives in Kew London.
Peter was ready to help us on this and was pleased to hear that the Restoration team had found the Design Registration Number on the fountain with the Diamond Registration Mark next to it. Similar numbers were also spotted on the iron gargoyles and floral motifs carved on the panels. This was the first time that Peter had seen such identification marks on an item manufactured by Barwell & Co. foundry10.
In 1839, the copyright of Design Act together with the Ornamental Design Act of 1842, provided some degree of protection against the copying of a Company’s designs in a wide range of products including metals. Companies could submit their designs to the Office of the Registration of Designs (from 1852 it was called the Patents Designs and Trade Mark Office) which if accepted, provided protection for a period of five years. Barwell & Co submitted a number of their designs for regis- tration between 1842 and 1870, including this fountain. The unique six digit number was associated with the design and showed the design registration. The Diamond Registration Mark next to it helps to ascertain on which date the design was registered. Peter explained that with the aid of an Inter- pretation sheet for the Diamond Registration Mark, it can be worked out that the date the design number was registered was the 25th January 1864. The Northampton Market Square fountain would have had exactly the same markings. However, it was cast and erected before the registration date (24th January 1864) so they could not have known what mark to put on it. This would suggest that the two fountains were cast at different times.
The most important factor which was established with Peter’s help was that the Market Square and the Fitzgerald fountain were ‘twins’, cast in the same mould!11
It has been a learning curve for both of us too. We have been in touch with the Project team in- cluding Mr Sanjay Sawant, Executive Engineer and Mr Sanjay Adhav, Senior Heritage Conservation Engineer from the Heritage Department of the MCGM, Mr Deepak Paunikar, the renowned sculptor
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