There continues to be much interest in the Bucket Fountain (or Piazza Fountain to give it its full title!) and there is a Task Force led by Merseyside Civic Society that is meeting regularly to progress the expressed wish of so many citizens to see this wondrous kinetic fountain fully restored and enjoyed by new generations.
There is a lovely video produced by The Modernist about the Fountain which is well worth watching:
Conversations with the National Lottery Heritage Fund are on-going and have been very helpful in orienting us to resolve the outstanding issues about ownership and future maintenance to be ready to apply for funding to support the restoration.
Some of you might be interested in the Survey Report delivered by Clancy Consulting about options for the refurbishment and restoration: Kinetic Fountain Survey Report June 2023
There is also slide presentation prepared by Dr Richard Moore about the refurbishment proposals: Restoration Options v3 and below is the same presentation but with a video of the fountain in operation embedded in the slides:
A fuller version of the above prepared by Dr Richard Moore and called A Waterfall of a Strange New Kind can be studied here: Fountain Restoration Options Full Report
UPDATE on the width of the Piazza Fountain pool wall prepared by Dr Richard Moore: Receiving Pool Wall Width Report
An option that we like is to use Welsh slate in the refurbishment to enhance the fountain’s connection to Wales and its Welsh designer Richard Huws: Fountain Tiled Finishes Options
UPDATE: 09.09.2023 We have been exploring options to make the refurbished fountain net zero and Dr Richard Moore has drawn up a discussion document to look at the possibilities for a more sustainable fountain operation. You can read the document here: Piazza Fountain Renewable Energy Options
Many of you might appreciate understanding more of the links that the fountain has with Liverpool’s slave trade and the best interpreter of this is the famous Liverpool historian Dr Laurence Westgaph. You can follow his comments about the original Goree street name and Goree Warehouses at 11.30mins and the Goree Fountain from 16.00mins to 20.10mins:
A further meeting of the Piazza Fountain Steering Group, which hasn’t met for some time due to the covid pandemic and the difficulty of resolving some of the background questions, will be organised for the autumn and anyone who would like to play a part in assisting us restore this precious acoustic fountain to it’s original glory please email and make contact: chair@engageliverpool.com
You can also find out more information directly from Merseyside Civic Society on their dedicated page: MCS webpage where you can also find a link to contribute financially to the support of the restoration project.