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A significant piece of history in the West Yorkshire town of Ilkley has had a new lease of life with its first fountain since the 1960s, which is to be unveiled by famous gardener and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh.

The Ilkley Fountain was a Victorian gravity-fed fountain made in the 1860s which was removed in the 1960s due to disrepair and vandalism.

For the first time in 60 years, a 1.5 metre galvanized sculpture will be installed thanks to a campaign by local charity, Improving Ilkley, which launched a public design competition and raised funds for the project.

Local artists Juliet and Jamie Gutch won the competition with a design inspired by the sphagnum moss plant, which is found on Ilkley moor, well-known for the song it inspired, ‘On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at’.

Once the design was agreed, the parties chose to work with renowned artist blacksmith, James Wilkinson, who used his skills to manipulate the steel in order to replicate the curves and fluid lines of the design.

James said: “The piece weighed just over a ton in total and due to the fact that it’s going to be wet all the time, I chose to have it galvanized at Metaltreat Galvanizers, part of Wedge Group Galvanizing. This will help make sure it’s protected against weathering and rust for years to come, and along with the etched finish, provides a fantastic multi-tonal appearance which again resembles the plant.”

The fountain is gravity-fed and uses moorland water from Mill Ghyll, before going back into the ghyll and towards the River Wharfe.

Prior to its official unveiling on 30th April by Alan Titchmarsh, Improving Ilkley said a team of volunteers are planting bulbs around the fountain with steel plates around the perimeter to recognise people who donated money to the fountain project.

Iain McBeath, Commercial Manager at Metaltreat Galvanizers, which helped protect the sculpture, added: “We were thrilled when James called and asked us to galvanize his piece for the Ilkley Fountain – it’s an important feature of the town that has been sorely missed by locals and visitors for many years. It was an incredibly detailed design that James helped bring to life, and the galvanized and etched finish really makes it stand out.”

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