Comments on: Restoring The Leonard Montefiore Fountain https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Thu, 04 May 2023 16:46:15 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: DR. CHARLES JENKINS https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1508630 Thu, 04 May 2023 16:46:15 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1508630 I was born in Bethnal Green, but came across the name MONTIFIORE until I went to work at the hospital named for Moses Montifiore in New York City. Since then, I have found all sorts of associations with various family members in different parts of the world. Although I knew Stepney and Stepney Green as a child, I never saw, or do not remember seeing, the Memorial Fountain. It is wonderful that it has been restored and I hope to see it when next I am in London. Wonderful work. Congratulations to all those involved. It would be wonderful if SOMEONE would nudge Tower Hamlets to do SOMETHING about the condition of the memorials along Whitechapel and Mile End Roads, which seem to have been forgotten like the glorious Alms Houses there.

]]> By: Peter https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1502010 Mon, 20 Feb 2023 02:35:01 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1502010 Sterling work by all. Can we have photo of it ‘spouting’ when it is finally switched on please?

]]> By: Stephen Watts https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1502005 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:41:16 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1502005 Many thanks for a heart-warming story of lovely & sustainable local ecology : more such needed !!

]]> By: Gail Farrow https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1502003 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:19:46 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1502003 Sounds like Leonard was a superb young man gone far too soon. Who knows what good he would have done for humanity given the chance.

Well done to all those involved in restoring this fountain commemorating him.

]]> By: Jill Wilson https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1502002 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:01:55 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1502002 Great news that these fountains are being restored and being out back into use. There was a feature on Radio London the other day about a water fountain being restored in Hendon which sounds very similar.

]]> By: Ann https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1501980 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 14:30:09 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1501980 Brilliant work, well done everyone ??

]]> By: Frances Borzello https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1501979 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 14:27:18 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1501979 We went to the fountain unveiling today. It’s next Sunday!!!Frances Borzello

]]> By: Andy https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1501974 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 13:00:25 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1501974 Did it have on a religious text about “The Lord being close to those with broken hearts.”.. I remember that statue aa a boy

Is it the same one?

Andy

]]> By: Cherub https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1501972 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 12:42:56 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1501972 A beautiful fountain, but as it’s in London I’m not sure I’d want to drink from it. when I lived in London tap water was pretty disgusting, there was always a film on tea and coffee. White shirts would be grey after 10 washes.

]]> By: Christine Swan https://spitalfieldslife.com/2023/02/19/restoring-the-leonard-montefiore-fountain/#comment-1501971 Sun, 19 Feb 2023 12:37:04 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=194747#comment-1501971 What a fantastic reuse of a historic landmark for a modern day purpose and far more attractive than modern-day water fountains at stations or public buildings. There is an interesting timeline between the provision of clean, safe, potable water for the population and the development of microbiology. The benefits of chlorination were not discovered until the very end of the 19th century but reservoirs and filtration came earlier allowing sunlight to kill some of the nasties. The early pumps and fountains used local supplies without these benefits which led to some horrible outbreaks of water-borne disease and allowed John Snow to make the link between the two. Some were situated next door to cemeteries so the disease cycle was complete.
Modern pumps are fed from the water main so we can now drink from these fountains without concern. My Dad worked for the MWB (now Thames Water) and I was a former biologist. Hope I haven’t bored anyone!

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