Alexandra Fountain
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Alexandra Fountain is a fountain in the Australian city of
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
. It is regarded as one of the city's most prominent landmarks and monuments. The fountain is located in Bendigo's
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
area at the intersection of View Street and Pall Mall. Charing Cross effectively stands at the centre of the city and is one of Bendigo's busiest and most prominent intersections. The fountain stands opposite the main entrance of
Rosalind Park Rosalind Park is an Australian park in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Prior to white settlement, a grassy woodland surrounded what is now called Bendigo Creek. At that time the creek was little more than a chain of pools and billabongs. ...
. Alexandra Fountain was funded from the proceeds of the Bendigo Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1879), a £500 gift from George Lansell and a further £700 from the Sandhurst City Council (now the
City of Greater Bendigo The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of and, in August 2021, had a population of 121,470. It includes the city of Bendigo and the towns of A ...
). The fountain was designed by William Vahland (1828–1915), a local architect responsible for some of the city's most prominent buildings. The fountain was named in honour of
Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
, Princess of Wales. Its grand opening on 5 July 1881 was attended by her sons
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...
and Prince George. Other than the Exhibition Fountain, built in 1880 and located in the
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
's
Carlton Gardens The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Melbourne central business district, Central Business District in the suburb of Carlton, Victoria, Carlton, Melbourne, in the stat ...
, the Alexandra Fountain is the largest and most ornate municipal fountain in Victoria. The fountain stands high and sits in a diameter circular pool which itself is deep. It is made from of Harcourt granite, cast iron and painted stone. Decoratively the fountain includes lion head spouts, four allegorical female figures, spouted bronzed mer-horses and dolphins, medallions of seashells, dolphins and tridents also decorate the fountain. The pool is bordered by a decorative cast-iron fence and lit with four cast-iron lamps. Historically the fountain is a monument to the success of the goldfields and the Bendigo region. Aesthetically the fountain is fairly typical of late Victorian monumental design but is unusual in that few fountains were built according to this theme. In 2017, a AU$350,000 refurbishment project was undertaken. The restoration project included repairs and repainting of the balustrade and masonry, including repainting and re-rendering the plaster work as well as plumbing and electrical work.


References

Buildings and structures in Bendigo Tourist attractions in Victoria (state) Landmarks in Australia Monuments and memorials in Victoria (state) Fountains in Australia Sculptures of dolphins Sculptures of seashells {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub