Wellington fountain, colaba, Mumbai.victorianweb.org |
Above image: Restored in its original form at a cost of about Rs12 lakh in February 2017 the 152-year-old iconic Wellington Fountain, was one among the many restoration projects undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the city. The highlight was the work was undertaken under a public-private-partnership (PPP) model. The aesthetically-designed railings around Wellington Fountain were installed by the BMC ....................
During the colonial heyday under the direct Crown administration, London the fountain was established in Bombay (Mumbai), then the capital of Bombay Presidency through public subscription in 1865 and the cost of the neo-classical style fountain was Rs 12,000. The reason why colonial officer Henry Conybeare chose this particular place was it was here the Duke had camped and stayed in tents of residence (Esplanade) during his visits. The structure was designed by Lt Colonel JJ Scott, and the work was done under the care of Gen. Augustus Fuller,” according to conservationist Dilawari.
The purpose of such water fountain, giant colonial statues, etc., in a prime place of the city on the model of those British cities was to create an impression on the new visitors to the cities. The new civic infrastructure and governance would be conducive to the growth of European trade and mercantile interests of the Empire and also large businesses run by local Indians. World over in the 1850s water fountains in public places were built to beautify the city; hence the city of Bombay had a water fountain in European style. Mostly located in traffic islands, they later became bottle necks when cities began to experience vehicular traffic. Besides lack of maintenance over the decades, such fountains in the cities became not only obsolete but also a hindrance for the free flow of traffic in unban and semi urban spaces. These fountains for a while used to be waterhole in those days for the public. Later households had municipal water connections.
The new city plan included the removal of Fort in 1860 built by the EIC and the Wellington Fountain became a landmark close to many places like Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (the former Victoria Terminus), road leading to the Apollo Bunder (Gateway of India area), etc. Private companies like Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and the MCGM maintained the fountain for 3 plus years. A stage had come to restate it back to old charm. Tough job of the conservation work was the removal of multiple layers of paint to expose the original layer of old structure. They also took care of the cast iron leaves in the fountain work and they chose the right technique to clean it. Indeed, a tedious job.
According to Mr. Dilawari’ of INTACH’s Mumbai Chapter, “For any fountain, aesthetics, location, water engineering and maintenance are vital. In case of Wellington, water engineering was in good shape since it was a functional fountain,” says Dilawari. He explains that the water flows perfectly from one tray to another and then into the lowest trough without soiling the shaft or the eight bas-relief marble panels on it. These are also protected in the monsoon due to the design of the first level cantilever tray.'' His team did a good job well supported by Jeernodhar Conservators Pvt Ltd and they took careful restoration work without having to disturb the heritage elements. .
Mumbai Colaba’s Wellington Fountain.mid-day.com |
Above image: Wellington fountain, Mumbai. A line drawing of the structure Vikas Dilawari....
one side of the column. Duke Wellington on the left victorianweb.org |
Mumbai Colaba’s Wellington statue with damaged nose Fountain.mid-day.com |
Above image: Wellington fountain, Mumbai. The nose of Duke Wellington on one of the eight bas-relief marble panels was restored earlier, and the damage was discovered during cleaning operation. Built in 1865 in honor of the Duke Wellington who visited Bombay in 1801 and 1804. The bas-reliefs on the fountain commemorate his victories which cemented the British hegemony in the southern parts of India and West India. Successes in the final Angelo - Mysore war (elimination Tipu Sultan) and the Maratha war added a new direction to the the colonial ruler.
Categorizing the people who want the colonial statues in India removed to the museum as xenophobic nationalists may not be a good proposition. It is true Richard Wellesley (Duke Wellington) was a great army man and military strategist and was good at using a diverse set of troops under his command and fighting against his adversaries across a variety of terrain. Invariably, the colonial government had countless statues of their administrators as a symbol of their military power and administrative skill. Did the colonists back in Britain build statues of Indian Maharajahs or Nawabs or any prominent Indian administrators who were loyal to them during their rule? Why this disparity and lack of reciprocity?
Mumbai Colaba’s Wellington Fountain .mid-day.com |
Mumbai Colaba’s Wellington Fountain .mid-day.com |
The other fountains that were restored include the Ruttonsee Mulji Jetha Fountain, commissioned by a businessman in memory of his late son and the recently restored Flora Fountain, erected where the original Church Gate of Bombay Fort once stood.
https://victorianweb.org/sculpture/fountains/20.html