Ilkley Fountain

The Ilkley Fountain is a gravity-feed fountain made in the 1860s. Since the 1950s it has been in disrepair, and in 2022 a local charity set out to restore it.

Now moorland water tumbles down Mill Ghyll, flows fleetingly through the fountain once again, back into the ghyll and on towards the River Wharfe.

The vision to restore the fountain was conceived of by local charity Improving Ilkley, who set up a competition for a new fountain design to be chosen through public consultation.

Our submitted design, inspired by sphagnum moss, won the competition in early 2023 and has evolved through a process of collaboration with Improving Ilkley.

Sphagnum moss is a tiny plant found on Ilkley Moor. It is crucial to the forming of peat, helps clean the water, prevents flooding and is a vitally significant store of carbon. Sphagnum has long been associated with healing and was highly sought after as a wound dressing during World War One due to its antiseptic and absorptive properties.

The design, which intentionally plays with scale, references sphagnum on both micro and macro levels: the cut-out forms indicate the hyaline cells of the tiny leaves which hold water, and the tufty edges of the shapes suggest the sphagnum as a growing carpet of moss, on its way to becoming what is known as a keystone eco-system engineer.

A carpet of sphagnum is bigger than the sum of its parts; able to affect the environment in which it grows and support other species. It gives a curious impression of lightness and delicacy alongside weight and strength.

We have previously worked with blacksmith James Wilkinson, and we recommended to Improving Ilkley that they commission him to fabricate the sculpture. He has interpreted the design into galvanised steel with incredible and sensitive artistry and the project feels like a testament to the different and complementary skills of many. We feel lucky to have had the opportunity to give this design to the town.

Photographer David Lindsay has taken images of the fountain from day to dusk to night:

Day

Dusk

Evening

Night

Improving Ilkley trustees Louise Hepworth-Wood, Jo Jarvis and Matthew Ward have carried the project forward. Engineer Ian Whitlam and architect Anthony Barnett have developed, designed, and realised the various technical and aesthetic aspects, and media consultant Cat Barrett has told the story on social media. Louise Hepworth-Wood, who is an artist, has been particularly involved in the evolution of the design. The part-restoration of the stone basin and the water engineering works were developed and completed by Dakin Developments, led by Liam Jarvis. The project has been funded by donations from the local community.

Image below: Louise Hepworth-Wood, Anthony Barnett and Juliet Gutch
Gallery images: people passing by the fountain
Drone images: fountain, Ilkley, Ilkley Moor