Southend-on-Sea Civic Fountain Listed
The Civic Fountain in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.
An accomplished and high-quality work of art, the Civic Fountain is designer William Mitchell’s only known public sculpture in Faircrete (a fibrous concrete which could be moulded like potters’ clay). It is a rare surviving example of a public fountain by the artist.
A post-war civic centre for Southend
In 1967, a new civic complex was created in Southend. It included a car park, council suite, and 16-storey council office block (known as the Civic Centre), a college, police headquarters, and a courthouse. The complex was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. A civic square, with a round pool and fountain, was designed to form the central heart of the scheme.
An innovative sculptural design
The Borough Council's architects persuaded them to commission William Mitchell to create a sculpture for the fountain and a coat of arms for the nearby council chamber at a cost of £8,500. The fountain panels were crafted on-site in Faircrete and completed in 1971.
The fountain has 3 sculptural panels, which stand in a circle in a round pool. The imagery represents Southend-on-Sea's motto, 'Per Mare Per Ecclesiam' (Through the Sea Through the Church), and the city's coat of arms.
Details include a trefoil (the emblem of the Holy Trinity, representing the parish church of Southchurch), an anchor (the emblem of St Clement, the Patron Saint of Leigh) and a gridiron (the emblem of St Lawrence, the Patron Saint of Eastwood) either side of a vase of lilies in a triangular surround (the emblem of the Virgin, representing the parish of St Mary, Prittlewell).
The south-facing panel has a bearded religious figure on its outward face, possibly representing St Clement, and a hooded monk-like figure on its inward face (likely representing the Cluniac Priory of St Mary, Prittlewell).
The west-facing panel has a fisherman in medieval dress on its outward and inward faces (representing Leigh Port) and the fisherman’s net trails along the north side into the water of the round pool.
This exciting sculptural work was an integral part of the post-war renewal of Southend-on-Sea and represents the innovative approach to civic design at that time. It is a rare surviving example of a public fountain by William Mitchell, one of the most celebrated sculptors of the late twentieth century. Seen and enjoyed by local people and visitors every day, it celebrates Southend’s unique heritage.
William Mitchell (1925 to 2020)
William Mitchell was a prolific and innovative architectural sculptor who worked in various materials, most notably concrete.
Mitchell’s work can be grouped into a few types:
- Early work for London County Council on public housing and related community buildings, which led to work in many schools and public libraries around the country
- Large-scale schemes, such as those at the Three Tuns public house in Coventry and the Lea Valley Water Company in Hatfield (both Grade II)
- Sculptural works within a host building, such as at Liverpool and Clifton cathedrals (both Grade II*)
- Freestanding works, such as ‘Corn King and Spring Queen’ for the Cement and Concrete Association at Wexham Park (Grade II)
- The decoration of retaining walls, such as those at Harlow Water Gardens (Grade II) and the Kidderminster ring road (Grade II)
- His work overseas in the 1970s and 1980s, including sculptural fountains at the Federal Building in Honolulu, Hawaii, murals at Richmond Station, San Francisco, and works in the Middle East.
He also created the decorative interior fibreglass panelling at the Curzon Mayfair Cinema in London and the Egyptian Rooms at Harrods (both listed at Grade II).
Throughout his career, Mitchell designed a small number of fountains, including 8 gargoyle fountains at Harlow Water Gardens (1963, listed at Grade II as part of the Water Gardens) and a fountain sculpture for car manufacturer Ford at Basildon (location unknown).
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