Fountain cleaned up!
The East Grinstead Society, with the assistance of East Grinstead Meridian Rotary, By the Fountain Restaurant, Arthur Crawfurd (great grandson of the original benefactor), East Grinstead Lions and Portland Vets, has been spearheading the renovation of the Jubilee Fountain in the High Street.
Today the first stage, partial cleaning with a specialist super-heated, low-pressure steam jet, was completed in time for the Jubilee celebrations next month. The cleaning regime was in accordance with the recommendations of a stonework conservator who carried out a detailed examination of the fountain and gave us a report with his suggested approach for sensitive cleaning and minor repair work.
Following these recommendations, the contractor today only cleaned the sounder parts of the fountain and did not clean the more delicate York Stone panels and columns, so that as much of the integrity of the original structure as possible could be retained.
As well as cleaning the fountain, the contractor also cleaned the adjacent paving slabs, ably assisted by the EGTC maintenance team.
The Society hopes to re-establish a water connection later this Jubilee Year, once a suitable tap has been sourced.
