"How the friggidy poop did the Trafalgar Square fountains end up in Canada?"
So asks Jonnie Fielding on his Bowl of Chalk Instagram. That got our attention. The famous tiered fountains were both present and correct last time we walked through the square. But it turns out that they're post-war replicas.
The originals were of some importance — or, at least, they would be considered so today. Along with the rest of the square, they were designed by Charles Barry, one of Britain's most celebrated architects whose most famous contribution was a trifling riverside property known as the Houses of Parliament.
Barry's red granite fountains were removed from the square in 1948. They never returned. Replacements by the equally famous Sir Edwin Lutyens went up in the late 1940s in their stead.
The originals were eventually shipped to Canada and now decorate parks in Ottawa and Regina. That much can be read on Wikipedia. But Bowl of Chalk has done some digging into the paper trail. We don't want to steal his thunder — watch the excellent Instagram reel for the full story — but let's just say that one of the Canadian fountains is not what it seems.
Bowl of Chalk is one of those must-follow Instagram channels for those into quirky London history. The Trafalgar Square story is, incredibly, number 444 in an ongoing series of Fun London Facts. Jonnie is also an experienced tour guide, whose walks can be found here.
