Victorian beauty gets a face-lift

The historic Watt Fountain is being restored in readiness for its anniversary in September.

One of Whanganui's earliest monuments is being given a facelift in readiness for a celebration in September.

The Watt fountain at the junction of Victoria Avenue and Ridgway Street was first installed in 1881 and Mainstreet staff are working to restore it to its former glory.

Layers of old paint have been removed to expose the Victorian fountain's original features.

"The tiles are being replaced and it will be repainted with a waterproof membrane," Mainstreet manager Amanda Gibbons told the Chronicle.

"The arms that support the gas lamps at the top have been restored - and we have discovered that the lamps are still in working order."

Ms Gibbons said the lamps would be retro-fitted with reflectors to project the light.

It is all being done in readiness for the 136th anniversary of the first opening on September 7.

The Watt Fountain is a memorial to Whanganui's first mayor, William Hogg Watt, who owned Lake Westmere before gifting it to the town as a water supply in the 1870s.

In 1881, the Whanganui Chronicle reported that the opening of the fountain brought the townspeople out in "great force".

The fountain, described as an "elaborated gothie" was designed by Whanganui architects Ross and Wright and made of cement, cast iron and marble.

The article described the four gables of the fountain as being "decorated with incaustic tiles" and reported that "the water plays from a gilded lion's head into a trough".

It even had a drinking vessel attached to a chain for "the wearied traveller to quench his thirst".

The fountain was moved to Cooks Gardens in 1906 to make way for tram lines then spent several years in storage before being moved to Queens Park in the 1930s.

A new base was installed when the fountain was returned to its original site in 1993.