Cheers as historic fountain centrepiece is returned to public view at March Museum after renovation work

It was a case of cheers as an historic drinking fountain was unveiled this afternoon after undergoing a major restoration.

Friends and trustees of March Museum together with members of the Jones family from Wimblington gathered for the unveiling of the newly restored March Fountain centrepiece and toasted the occasion with some bubbly.

Volunteers David Bates and Kelvin Adams have been working on the project for the past three months after the Jones family, represented today by brothers Tom and Peter, agreed to give the centrepiece for display at the museum on a long-term loan back in November.

It has been a labour of love for David and Kelvin who have spent hours carefully cleaning, welding, and repainting the artefact, which for many years graced the garden of the Jones family home at 42 March Road, Wimblington.

The centrepiece was removed from the town’s commemorative Fountain, erected in 1912 to mark the coronation of King George V the year before, over road safety concerns in Broad Street in 1963.

It was put up for auction by the then council authority, with the threat it would go for scrap if no one stepped up to buy it.

Haulier Thomas Jones decided to buy the centrepiece paying either £10 or £15 for it at the time. His grandson Tom was unsure exactly how much it was bought for, but he said his grandfather had one of his drivers, the late Alec Wright collect it from the council depot.

Tom said: “It was strewn about the council yard in pieces, and sadly one of the panels was missing when my grandfather bought it, and it has been missing ever since. No doubt a council worker had it as a souvenir, who knows it could be laying about in a shed somewhere.”

Tom and his younger brother Peter, who stored the fountain at his home in Manea following his parents death, before he moved to Cornwall at the end of last year when the family agreed it was time to let the people of March have the chance to see it once more, were thrilled to see the completed renovation.

Peter travelled from his home in Fowey to attend the unveiling, and said it was well worth the effort.

The lengthy loan was agreed between the family and the museum at the suggestion of Alec Wright before his death, and the museum took possession of the fountain, which was in three separate parts at the beginning of November.

Between today’s unveiling and the dismantling of the fountain following the death of the Jones’ brothers’ parents, the only glimpse the public had of the centrepiece was as they drove past the family home in Wimblington, where it had pride of place in the garden for nearly 60 years.

Much has been made of the centrepiece’s removal, but it is fair to say without the intervention of Thomas Jones and his wife Florrie, it would likely have been lost completely.

Discussions were had about returning it to the centre of the Fountain in Broad Street, which itself has undergone a major refurbishment and a relocation following the improvements to the town centre.

However, it was felt the location could leave it open to vandalism.

Gordon Thorpe, chair of March Museum, welcomed everyone to the unveiling and paid tribute to the Jones family for saving the centrepiece and donating it back to the town, and to David and Kelvin, and other museum volunteers for the hours of dedication it has taken to return it to its former glory.

Kelvin even managed to locate drinking cups similar to those that would have adorned the Fountain in its heyday, but were lost long before the centrepiece was removed.

Gordon described Kelvin as a “genius” in carrying out the welding and other work that was needed with the assistance of David.

He said the pair had spent many hours working on ensuring it looks much as it would have done when it was first unveiled in 1912, when it was bought by donations from the people of March.

Gordon also said the dismantling of the centrepiece in 1963, was the second attempt to remove it. A previous attempt in 1943 to have it scrapped for the war effort saw it saved when the then chair of the local council refused to let it go.

All those who witnessed today’s unveiling were impressed with how the fountain looked and now visitors to the museum have a chance to see it in all its glory for themselves, as it is now on display in the museum’s yard.