water pump

Freestanding cast-iron water hydrant, erected c. 1900, comprising fluted shaft on moulded base surmounted by fluted domed capping with acorn finial over, and having lion's head motif to spout. Cast-iron bucket pedestal to base. Foundry mark 'Glenfield & Kennedy Ltd, Kilmarnock' to shaft. Located adjacent to modern blockwork boundary wall along a laneway/cul-de-sac to the east of the centre of Killybegs.

An attractive piece of mass produced cast-iron, which is an appealing and subtle feature in the streetscape to the east of the centre of Killybegs. 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, and the moulded lion’s head motif in particular, enhances the artistic design quality of the piece, and indicates the equal importance of aesthetics as well as functionality. This lion’s head motif may be a reference to the British Empire. The foundry mark indicates that it was made at the Glenfield and Kennedy Ltd. foundry, which was the major company selling cast-iron water mechanisms throughout the British Empire during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The cast-iron pedestal to the front was used as a platform, for filling buckets/pails etc. This simple item of street furniture is one of a number of cast-iron hydrants still extant in Killybegs, and makes a positive contribution to the streetscape of the town. This pump may have been moved to its present location from a site a short distance to the south (Ordnance Survey twenty-five inch map 1907).