The other week, on my way to the Museum, I strolled through sections of Hyde Park, enjoying the lovely summer's day in the shade of the enormous fig trees.
Hyde Park is effectively split in two by Park Street.
The southern section features the Anzac memorial, while the northern section is best known for the Archibald Fountain.
During this visit I focused on the southern section of Hyde Park (opposite the Museum) where there is an elaborate Gothic-style water fountain. It was erected by businessman and philanthropist John Frazer (1827-1884) who was a Member of the Legislative Council of the New South Wales Parliament in the 1880s.
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The fountain was designed by the city architect, Thomas Sapsford, and carved in Pyrmont stone by Lawrence Beveridge.
The basin for the fountain is made of Scottish granite.
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There is now a modern bubbler sitting inside the basin.
I find the idea of drinking from this bubbler rather daunting.
Such grandeur, pomp and circumstance for a wee drink of water.
I expect applause and a military band to start playing when I walk up the steps!
On the city-side of the water fountain there is a monument to Captain James Cook.
The Sculptor was Thomas Woolner.
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The east coast of Australia abounds with monuments to Cook.
Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne even went so far as to buy the old English cottage he grew up in and transplanted it to Victoria in 1934.
In 2010 my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii.
We visited Kealakekua Bay (below) where Captain Cook was killed in 1779.
(the haze is the vog that covers the main island of Hawaii - not my dodgy photography!)
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This post is also part of my personal Sydney Challenge.
It's funny how many cities have a Hyde Park...I'm slightly obsessed with the London one. Thanks for the tour through yours! That modern water fountain in the old monument is very funny.
ReplyDeleteYes, Australia is full of place names that hark from our English heritage; Hyde Park is one of them.
DeleteThere is a Hyde Park around here too. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Saturday Snapshot
I also started reading and was thinking about Hyde Park in London which would not be looking so warm and pleasant.
ReplyDeleteThe fountain is great! I was expecting to see a decorative one, instead of a drinking one. A very grand way to quench your thirst on a hot day.
ReplyDeleteI'm always rushing through if I get to wander through Hyde Park, it's nice to pause and appreciate it more. I'm not sure that I've seen that Captain Cook statue for instance! Nice to have the Cook link to your honeymoon- I didn't know that the main island of Hawaii was so foggy.
ReplyDeleteIt's the volcanic pollution or 'vog' that covers the main island pretty much the whole time...getter denser the closer you get to the volcano...which is what we were doing the day we took this drive.
DeleteI like the Captain Cook statue - I'm fascinated by Captain Cook. In Whitby, in North Yorkshire, there's a Cook museum in the 17th Century house where he lodged when he was learning his trade as a seaman, and there are documents, and artifacts he brought back from his travels, and maps, and masses of information about him, model ships, portraits, letters. I've been there a couple of times, and it's a wonderful place. One year we we went round a replica of the Endeavour as well, in the harbour, and I was surprised at how cramped for space it was - I always imagined the ships to be much bigger. My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/U62WN
ReplyDeleteI'll have to put the Cook Museum in Whitby on my list of things to do next visit to the UK :-)
DeleteGreat photos! I love finding old pieces of architecture! The fountain is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and interesting photos!!
ReplyDeleteBoston has a Hyde Park, too. Maybe back in the 1600's it was a park, but it's residential now.
beth :)
What you said about the drinking fountain made me think of a fountain they have at the Seattle airport that makes a very loud glugging noise when people drink from it. The first time I heard it I thought for sure it was something from a prank show - either that or the world's largest water bottle turned upside down behind the wall. ;)
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