Volunteers bring East Grinstead’s Grade II listed drinking fountain back to life after 50 years

The fountain, which was originally erected to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, was officially reopened on Friday, April 19 (11am).

The ceremony was attended by the East Grinstead Society, who spearheaded the three-year project, as well as Year 3 children from Estcots primary school and members of Estcots Parents and Friends Association.

East Grinstead Society chairman James Baldwin welcomed everyone to the ceremony, including: East Grinstead town mayor Frazer Visser, Mid Sussex District Council chairman Rodney Jackson, MSDC deputy leader Alison Bennett and West Sussex County Councillor Jacquie Russell.

James said: “The society took this project on as its project for our late Queen's Jubilee. Over three years, we've worked with councils and individuals to get where were are today and I'm really proud to be standing here to acknowledge this.”

James thanked everyone who supported the project and hopes the fountain will be used ‘for many generations to come’.

A tribute to former Haywards Heath rector Father Ray Smith (1956-2024)

East Grinstead Society vice chairman Robin Whalley, who co-ordinated the project, said he was proud of the community spirit in restoring the fountain. He said the society cooperated with South East Water to see if they could reconnect the fountain, saying they put a camera into it to reveal a pipe and a hollow centre. He said the structure was Grade II listed, adding: “We engaged a specialist conservator to tell us how much we could clean and how much we could repair sensitivity.”

Watch the video at www.eastgrinsteadsociety.org.

The water from the fountain is safe to drink and people are encouraged to fill up their water bottles. East Grinstead Town Council said they have taken a licence from the County Council to look after the fountain, which has been added to the town heritage trail map online.

According to www.visiteastgrinstead.com the fountain was originally a gift from Rev. C H Payne Crawfurd and was designed by then vicar of St Swithun’s Rev. D Y Blakiston and built by James Charlwood. In 1972 the fountain was listed as Grade II. It had not been working since the 1970s so in 2021 The East Grinstead Society spearheaded a project to bring it back to life. There was a partial cleaning in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Raymond Crawfurd, the great grandson of Reverend Charles Payne Crawfurd, attended the event on Friday.

The East Grinstead Society is a charity that focuses on maintaining the heritage of East Grinstead and its historic High Street. Robin Whalley said: “The society has had tremendous support from South East Water and also received a community grant from Mid Sussex District Council towards this work.”