Queen Victoria fountain erected 1897

There are two significant landmark memorials in Moss Vale - the 1897 memorial fountain and the 1937 clock tower.

To mark the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria’s 60 years, the residents of Moss Vale commemorated the occasion with a memorial fountain.

It was positioned at the junction of Bay and Argyle streets, near the post office, roughly halfway between the then railway station entrance at the end of Bay Street and the Royal Hotel across Argyle Street.

The occasion was documented by the local newspaper, The Scrutineer, in a souvenir supplement that displayed two photographic reproductions, some brief specifications and a list of the members of the fountain executive committee.

The fountain provided drinking water with four steel cups attached by chains for the use of thirsty travellers. Built on a solid concrete foundation surrounded by a rock-faced trachyte kerbing, it was further described in the Scrutineer as follows:

“The bowl or basin is one large stone five feet in diameter and 18 inches in depth, being supported by a massive rock substructure.

“Rising from the centre of the basin is a polished red granite base with a column about three feet high of polished trachyte, finished with a rough red granite cap. The stonework is surmounted by an iron standard carrying three electric lights of 32 c.p. each.

“The fountain is fitted with four taps, a constant supply of water being obtained from the Moss Vale Water Supply. The wires for the electric lighting have been carried underground, and the light supplied by the Moss Vale Electric Lighting Company.

“Messrs Loveridge and Hudson, Bowral, were the contractors for the erection of the Fountain.”

The unveiling on June 22, 1897, was performed by Mrs Chris Bennett (Violet), who was described by the Moss Vale Post in 1937 as “a generous donor to any movement of a patriotic and royal nature. She is better remembered as the donor of the piece of land on which the Soldiers’ Memorial Rooms were built”.

For people today, the fountain may not seem all that remarkable, but the town in 1897 was still in its infancy as it was only 30 years since the railway station had opened.

The fountain was particularly significant in that it featured the district’s unique natural product, Bowral trachyte, obtainable only at Mount Gibraltar, which already graced some of Sydney’s most elegant buildings, including the Queen Victoria Building.

That it carried electric lights was also highly significant. Moss Vale was the third country town in the state to install an electric light system. In 1889 a scheme to light streets as well as private homes with electricity was introduced by the Electric Lighting Company.

This private concern was taken over by Moss Vale’s council in 1911, which continued to generate electricity for the town until 1924.

After 1924 all the local towns were connected to electricity from Port Kembla. This was the first electricity in the other towns, thus Moss Vale was ahead by about 35 years in having its own electricity.

Forty years after the unveiling, the souvenir supplement of 1897 mentioned above was unearthed by a reader of the Moss Vale Post and it inspired the paper to make inquiries regarding the identity of the executive committee responsible for the fountain, revealing the following particulars:

“Alderman E. Goodridge (Chairman and Mayor) was at the time owner of the Royal Hotel; I.S. Ponder (Hon Treasurer) was manager of the Moss Vale branch of the ES&A Bank; J.R. Caldwell (Joint Hon Secretary) was accountant at the same bank; and George Gissing (Joint Hon Secretary) was employed in Samuel’s store.

“Of the other 16 committee members on the list: R.P. Richardson was the senior partner in real estate firm Richardson & Wrench; and F.H. Throsby was the sole surviving member of the committee still in local residence.”

Bay Street had been shortened into a turning bay in 1915 when the railway station was extended due to duplication of the line.

Yet the fountain remained an outstanding landmark facing Argyle Street that was greatly admired by pedestrians and motorists passing by.

But its days were numbered, as in 1937 plans were already afoot to usurp its position as the town’s unique landmark.

Next week: The Alcorn Memorial Clock