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With thanks to Romsey & Lancefield Districts Historical Society. The society meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am-2pm, at Lancefield courthouse, in Main Rd, Lancefield.
To commemorate Queen Victoria, a fountain was built in Romsey. However, it stood for less than half as long as the 63 years that she reigned.
The fountain, at the intersection of Barry St and Main St, was commissioned by the Shire of Romsey and unveiled in July 1901, six months after Victoria’s death.
Its central column consisted of a pedestal supporting dolphins and seagulls, with the figure of a woman on the tier above. Water spurted from the dolphins and seagulls and the top of the column.
A crowd of 800 attended the opening. They sang God Save the King and then marched behind a brass band and riflemen to the park, where they enjoyed refreshments and the children played.
But only 23 years after that celebration, the fountain was taken down.
Some say it had become a traffic hazard. Another version is that the fountain was damaged and that the council intended to rebuild it but the components went missing.
📘 From Fay Woodhouse’s book Romsey: An Historical Guide, which tells the stories of 55 buildings and landmarks in Romsey, and the families behind the businesses that occupied them. (Published 2021, $40.)
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