Rondebosch Fountain
Rondebosch Fountain is an ornamental Victorian drinking trough for horses, standing on a traffic island on the intersection between Belmont Road and Main Road in the centre of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. It was declared a National Monument on 10 April 1964.
| Rondebosch Fountain | |
|---|---|
The replacement fountain shortly after it was installed in 2020 | |
| Location | Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°57′41.2″S 18°28′12.3″E |
| Area | 5 metres (16 ft) |
| Height | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Built | 1891, 2020 |
Originally known as the Moodie Fountain, the fountain was made of cast iron in 1891 and consisted of a circular drinking trough supported on horses' legs, with a central post topped with a hexagonal lantern. Four decorated brackets may have originally suspended cups for people to drink from the spouting water, while horses drank from the trough, and dogs from smaller basins at ground level.
It was cast by Walter Macfarlane & Co. at the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, Scotland, and presented to the community by George Pigot Moodie in 1891. The lantern was South Africa's first electric streetlight and was first turned on on 25 April 1892, initially powered by Moodie's private power plant until a municipal power plant on the Liesbeek River was completed.
The original cast iron fountain was destroyed in August 2015 when a speeding car smashed into it, and some of the pieces were stolen. The fountain was rebuilt in aluminium by local company Heritage Castings. The rebuilt fountain was installed on the 24 September 2020.