The Peacock Fountain

A commonly photographed tourist attraction, The Peacock Fountain located in Christchurch Botanic Gardens is truly a sight for sore eyes. And no, we’re not talking about the animal “peacock” when referring to this fountain, but rather the man it was was named after.

The fountain came about when John Thomas Peacock gave a large sum of money to beautify “the reserves and gardens in the city of Christchurch” and the Avon River.

This fountain, constructed by Coalbrookdale Iron Works, was unveiled in 1911, then moved to another location, then finally put in storage for years due to maintenance issues. In 1996, after a $270,000 renovation, it was commission to be instated at it’s third location: Christchurch.

From bright colors to beautiful-crafted detail, this fountain has a lot of unique traits not as commonly found in the works of traditional water features. Over the years, many onlookers have had many opinions (not always flattering) about the design of the Peacock Fountain. Robert Herdman Smith, head of the Canterbury College School of Art claimed it “exhibited no more taste than the gaudy decoration used by travelling showmen to embellish their merry go-rounds.” Albeit a controversial color scheme, I found it to be rather lovely.

My favorite part is the bright color scheme. So many fountains stick to monochromatic, so it was refreshing to see something so out of the ordinary. The slight touches of red and the natural and unnatural colorations of the featured creatures was fascinating! I’m also a big fan of the sea monster-esque ornaments who reside on the bottom detail of the fountain. If you’re ever in Christchurch, New Zealand – this fountain is most definitely a must-see.

Another Fountain Video

I was scouring Youtube again and found this really cool video by SAI Fountains. I actually had showcased some of these fountains and had no idea they were made by the same company!

Forsyth Park Fountain – Savannah Ga

I don’t know if I mentioned that I stopped in Savannah, Ga on my way back to Jacksonville from my trip a couple weeks ago, but I did. And like I mentioned in my very first post, I absolutely love Savannah and all the history there.

One of the most interesting things about this city is that it is apparently haunted. While I was there I asked a local tour guide if he knew about any haunted fountains. (I couldn’t help myself.) Below is the story he told me about the famous Forsyth Park Fountain.

Aaron and Lois Churchill were happily married and lived in what is now Forsyth Park Inn. They brought home a little girl name Lottie one night. Life was perfect for all three of them. One day when Lottie caught her sister Anna in the romantic embraces of her adopted father. Lottie decided that the best solution to the problem was to poison her sister, which she did.

Anna turned out to actually be her mother. When she was told that she had killed her mother Lottie went insane. She was committed from that moment on. The ghost of Lottie is not vengeful and instead is said to have a childlike spirit. The spirit of what she could have been and when she was most happy. Child’s laughter and footsteps are reported most often. She has been seen on the staircase and has been felt by the fountain in which she had watched her poisoned sister die.