At the start of the summer, the cast iron lion’s head fountain next to Leyburn town hall set us off on a quest to find similar examples of ornate Victorian metalwork, and having exhausted all the local lions, we are onto standpipes.
Roger Walker reports from Pickhill, near Thirsk, where there are three – the same number as we found in Barningham last week.
One of the Pickhill cast iron standpipes. PIcture: Roger Walker
They are not in the best condition, which is unsurprising given the treatment the 2012 floods dished out to one of them, but they do add to the character of the village. The maker’s name cast into the side of the fountain has become hard to read over the years, but it seems to be long and end in “borough”.
The maker's name cast into the side of the Pickhill standpipe
Read more: Lion of Leyburn - the story behind this historic water fountain
Roger’s Googling suggests that it could have been made by Blakeborough Valves, founded in 1828 by Joseph Blakeborough in Rastrick, in the brass band country of West Yorkshire. This company continued trading until 1989, although the Blakeborough brand of valves, named in Joseph’s honour, is still made and, apparently, has a “stellar global reputation”.
A Pickhill standpipe withstands the flood of 2012
Any more fountains or standpipes that we should be aware of? We’ve been advised to look in Carthorpe, near Bedale – is there one of interest there?
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