Caldbeck Memorial Fountain

The Caldbeck Memorial Fountain stands in the centre of Portlaw, its cast-iron basins and Corinthian capital dated 1887. It honours William Robert Caldbeck, who died that year, and still gives water to the square. The pump mechanisms are reputed to survive intact beneath the decorative stone, turning a private loss into a public gift. Children may have splashed at its base while elders remembered the man whose name is hidden in the water’s sound.