Drinking Fountains

[scotchmist]

Whatever happened to these street drinking fountains you used to see in the 70's?? They were usually mounted on a 3 foot narrow steel pillar and were finished off in chrome. You turned a handle at the side round about 90 degrees and that would give you a small jet of cool water as long as you kept the pressure on the handle. I once saw a dog on its hind legs drinking out of one of them! I suppose all the health and safety scares put an end to them in the 1980's particularly with the unfortunate advent of AIDS.

[sixtyten]

Re: Drinking Fountains

Still see them across Europe. Can't say I ever saw that many here, unless in a School.
Most people seem to prefer bottled water, which was unavailable at that time fountains were popular

[Marine Boy]

Re: Drinking Fountains

I have a very distinct memory of a drinking fountain in a south London park when I was very small. But the drinking 'bowl' and the pillar were made of stone/granite, something like that. Even back then, my mother would say to wait until we got home, rather than use the fountain, as the pressure of the water was so low that you had to put your lips almost on the spout to get a drink. And with everyone doing that, I imagine the thing wasn't very clean.

[Richard1978]

Re: Drinking Fountains

I remember my last primary school had stainless drinking fountains in the toilets. I always tried to drink from it without touching the nozzle, though some of the boys didn't bother.

Probably the same ones who used to brush their hair with the nail brushes, which I remember spotting once or twice.

[Inkerman]

Re: Drinking Fountains

And with everyone doing that, I imagine the thing wasn't very clean.

There is the argument that our 'dirty' early years helped build up immunity to most of the common diseases. I was stopped from eating Deer poo in Heaton Park (early 60's). I've always been ill since but can outrun a Thompson's Gazell from a standing start!

[kazboot]

Re: Drinking Fountains

We had one of those granite type ones in my local park in Luton when I was a kid and of course the school ones.

They were probably stopped for health and safety reasons, but you know I remember sharing a bottle of lemonade with about 10 kids in the park sometimes and no-one died!

[Trickyvee]

Re: Drinking Fountains

The only ones I remember are the ones at school. One nice chrome one that had lots of pressure so you could get at it without giving it the lips, and two scrotty porcelain ones that were horrible.

[PC66]

Re: Drinking Fountains

There's still a drinking fountain outside the public conveniences at a small seaside village a couple of miles from here.

[havasack]

Re: Drinking Fountains

There's a one at the eating area/kids park at Grisedale forest which is great as you get a big squirt the harder you pressed. Naturally being one of the hottest days of the years it was well used by many dads "here I'll turn it on for you" then pressing hard to squirt the kids in the face. Each one thought he was the first..................just like I did. Must've been done a dozen times while I was there.

[battyrat]

Re: Drinking Fountains

The local ones were all capped off to stop people using them.I have a feeling this happened at the tail end of the 70's.I did use the one in our park when I was a kid.It was a solid iron pillar jobbie with brass bowl and chrome tap.It's still there,but many people today don't seem to know what it was.Some lady(not a local)was telling her friend that it was the base to an old street lamp not too long ago.We also had drinking fountains in our secondary school,but they were fairly old.I doubt if they are still used thesedays.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Drinking Fountains

I do know of a couple of very ornate ex-drinking fountains probably dating back to Victorian times but they haven't been used as drinking fountains in my lifetime.