Queen Victoria Jubilee Fountain

Year erected

1897

Year moved

In the 1920s

Year modified

1973

Designer

Arthur Collingridge De Tourcey (1853-1907)

About the Queen Victoria Jubilee Fountain

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne was in 1897.

Celebrations were initiated by the Reverend Henry Ham Britten of St Anne’s Church. Subscriptions were collected and Arthur Collingridge, Vice-President of the Arts Society of New South Wales and local resident, who designed this drinking fountain.

It was erected by the people of Ryde at the intersection of Church and Glebe Streets, now Victoria Road, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s then record reign.

The lower part of the fountain, with four posts around its base, connected by chains, cleverly exhibited Queen Victoria’s profile.

When street lighting came to Ryde in 1893, a gas light was fitted. After an unveiling by the Governor of New South Wales, a banquet was held for males in St Anne’s Hall. The ladies were entertained at Willandra, and Ryde's school children marched to the cricket ground in Tucker Street where lollies, cakes, bananas and toys were distributed.

By the 1920s, with increased motor traffic, the fountain was moved to the intersection of Victoria and Blaxland Roads. ln 1973, Ryde Rotary Club carried out landscaping works and converted the monument into its present form.

The designer, Arthur Collingridge, was born in London and emigrated with his wife Margaret and three children in 1877. He became a staff artist for several newspapers, and with his brother George became important in the establishment of the Art Society of New South Wales. He taught in several technical colleges and was a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Location

Corner of Blaxland Road and Victoria Road, Ryde 2112 View Map

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