Restoration of Carlops Drinking Fountain

Aim: To purchase and restore this fine Victorian drinking fountain to preserve and maintain it for the community and its visitors.

Introduction

I am a landscape architect and have lived in the conservation village of Carlops for over 30 years. I have watched this structure slowly deteriorate without anyone to care for it and cannot see this fine example of Victorian architecture fall into ruin any further. 

History

Whilst listed as a 'drinking fountain' is it referred to locally as 'the well'. It was built in 1860 for the village by the local landowner. The landowner had just inherited the estate, including the village, and work done on the house at the time was designed by the eminent Victorian architect David Bryce, who designed Fettes College, and it is not impossible that he may have had a hand in the design of the drinking fountain. 

This was just as the community moving from manufacturing and quarrying provided by the estate to becoming a health resort. The village is understood to be the location of Scotland's first pastoral comedy, 'The Gentle Shepherd' written by Allan Ramsay Sr. and a resurgence of his work drew visitors out to Carlops and the entrance to the Pentlands. Many still swear by the health giving-properties of the water from the drinking fountain It is still used virtually every day by visitors regularly coming to fill their containers of natural spring water, free from chlorides. For some visitors it is the only water they will drink.

When the central mill was converted to the 'Allan Ramsay Hotel', spring water from the tank servicing the well was piped to the hotel, which then became responsible for maintaining the water supply. Unfortunately, since the Covid pandemic, the hotel has closed. I regularly clean the area and ensure that the natural spring water supply is not interrupted.

Twenty years ago Scottish Borders Council provided electricity to the drinking fountain to provide some public lighting in the village. The last time the light  had worked was when the local water mill provided power in the 1930's.

In the 1960's, when the area was used as a bus stop, the local council fixed bench seats to the wing walls which compromised the stonework when they were installed these were later removed in the 1990's but this left holes in the stonework.

Sitting on the main road between Edinburgh and Carlisle the structure has had to deal with more and more heavy vehicles rumbling within a few feet. A slowly increasing adjacent road level had led to less than efficient surface drainage, causing water to sit at the base of the walls. 

The structure is now an outlying remnant of a shrunken country estate which has many other competing responsibilities. The project has received a significant donation from the Orcome Trust,  a small charity set up by the McClaggan Sisters, (previous owners of Newhall),  which supports charitable projects and community groups which have significance for the local area. 

Vision

The vision of the community is that this structure comes under our ownership and control so that we may make it safe and repair it, bringing it back to its former glory. The current owners have kindly agreed to transfer the title to the village SCIO for £1. Some of the funds raised will be used to facilitate this process.

Protective works to date by the Community

Five years ago I arranged with the estate owners for the nearby trees to be felled, as their roots were encroaching on the structure. 

Last year a small team of us dug out behind the worst affected wing wall and removed all remaining roots, installed a root barrier and a gravel drain to improve matters by reducing pressure on the wing wall.

Some re-pointing was carried out in the late 1980's but cement mortar has been used which has caused a build up of water behind the stone. This needs to be raked out and replaced with lime mortar.

A neighbour opposite the well, well-versed in lime pointing, carried out some emergency work to the wall copes a couple of years ago so as to reduce water getting into the structure from above.

Early this year the Community Council persuaded BEAR Scotland to install a new whin stone kerb and gulley to reduce road water reaching the structure's walls. This now requires that the paving to the apron will need to be lifted and re-set, with a number of stones requiring to be replaced.

The cast lions head has worn away at the chin and in recent years the lion has been dribbling down his chin causing spalling to the stones below. We want to be able give the lion some facial reconstruction.

I have recently replaced the lion's mouth spout with copper piping in order to resolve this issue but the damage has been done and a more professional repair is required. The flowers are from visiting well-wishers who take water from the spring.

Proposed works

Being on the main road we will need to protect the stone masons from traffic. 

Before carrying out any work we aim to use the most suitable form of organic growth removal, being careful not to damage the stone.

In order to ensure matching stone and lime mortar, a requirement of listed building consent, we will need to get the existing stone and mortar professionally analysed.

We need to replace at least six stones in the left wall, three in the centre and two on the right flank. 

In order to stabilise the stonework we will need to deep excavate the existing bedding and pointing mortars and consolidate to depth and repoint all stone joints bringing to a flat surface finish to provide protection from rainfall.

The rear of the centre of the structure is random rubble and is failing such that it will require to be re-built in places and the large masonry slab, covering the original settling chamber, will need to be re-set.

We aim to retain as much of the character as we can whilst stabilising the stonework, using stone-repair techniques in limited places, where necessary.

Once all the stonework has been fixed we will then re-lay, and in some instances replace, the stone slabs around the apron of the trough.

Target

We have a weather window in August/September, set aside to carry out the works and we need to raise £15,000 in order to complete all the proposed work.

We have raised £7,000 already but this only just enough to buy the stone. We hope you can assist us raise the extra £8,000.

June Update

Thank you, everyone who has contributed so far, we are steadily moving towards reaching our target by the end of July. With the funds received directly into the Village Hall account we have raised £10,726 so far. This is just shy of the cost of the main works by the stonemason so please spread the word to anyone who has not found a way to contribute. Thanks again, we are getting closer. The well is not going to get better on its own.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 25th July 2025 at 7:28pm