water pump

Freestanding cast-iron water hydrant, erected c. 1900, comprising fluted shaft on moulded base with cast-iron shelf/platform (now broken), moulded spout and having fluted domed capping with acorn finial over. Pull lever to side. Now disused. Located adjacent to rendered wall, and set on roadside. Located to the south of Lanesborough and adjacent to rural crossroad junction at Formoyle.

An attractive piece of mass produced cast-iron, which remains an appealing and subtle feature in the streetscape/landscape to the south of Lanesborough. This water hydrant is of particular importance as a reminder of the mechanisms installed for the provision of clean drinking water in the period before mains water supply systems. The various fluted details enhance the artistic design quality of the piece, and indicate the equal importance of aesthetics as well as functionality. It was probably made at the Glenfield and Kennedy Ltd. Foundry, at Kilmarnock in Scotland, who were responsible for many of the cast-iron hydrants in rural Ireland. It is located adjacent to a rural crossroad junction (at Formoyle), which is an obvious site for a communal water source.