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THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN RESTORATION 2014

THE PROJECT

Local community volunteer group, IMAGE*, was successful in its application for a Heritage and Culture Grant from Northern Marches Cymru for the purpose of restoring the village’s Victorian drinking fountain.  Gresford Community Council kindly donated 25% of the necessary amount in order to fulfil the project. 

It was decided that this grant assistance would realise the first project of the Gresford Village Improvement Plan which was the result of the Village Improvement Feasibility Project 2013, funded by Gresford Community Council  

The fountain had suffered neglect during the many years since its installation. Erected in 1862, it has now been restored to its former condition as far as possible. Work on site began on 21st October 2014 and was completed on 13th November 2014. It entailed gently cleaning the main structure, cleaning and raising the stone seats on either side, repairing the ceramic tiling, pointing the stone joints with lime mortar, paving an apron of land in front of the fountain with York stone, and erecting York stone benches.

Additionally, where there was previously a roundel of unknown subject, a stainless steel plaque was inserted to honour the benefactor, Anne Townshend. In order to keep signage at a minimum, a QR code was mounted; with the aid of smartphone technology, this links to this page on Gresford Community Council’s website. The tap is still missing and it is hoped that we can fund its addition in due course. There is no intention to restore the water supply.

The restoration work was carried out by Bell Stone Masonry of Chester. The gallery below illustrates the stages of the restoration.

THE BENEFACTOR, ANNE TOWNSHEND

Until 1861 Gresford had a very poor supply of fresh water. A dirty pond, now known as Gresford Lake, was the most accessible place to draw water, and residents did so by the bucketful. Wells existed, but were 100-120 feet deep and were difficult to access.

Enter Miss Anne Townshend!  She was the second daughter of John Stanislaus Townshend of Hem and Trevalyn, who lived in Trevalyn House in Rossett from 1801. A lady of comfortable means, and some influence locally, she later lived in Westwood House, Vicarage Lane, Gresford.

Westwood House, Vicarage Lane, Gresford - Anne's home.

Miss Townshend was born on 3 January, 1797.   She resolved throughout her life to help those in need in whatever way she could. In 1860 she enlisted the help of her friends and inspired the plan of building an automatic hydraulic ram behind St. Catherine’s  Well (in Bottom Lane).  Water was pumped via a one-inch pipe to a holding tank in a field at the point where the old Chester and Wrexham roads crossed through the village. From this tank, water was piped to four taps: one in the centre of the village, one opposite The Plough, one near the Church and one at the corner of Narrow Lane.  All cottagers were supplied with a key. The flow was slow and the tap locations developed as meeting and gossiping places for the villagers. This system worked from 1861 to 1916.

Following this, in 1862, Miss Townshend erected our newly-restored drinking fountain for travellers; it is situated at the junction of the Old Wrexham Road and Chester Road, opposite The Plough. She set up a fund to pay for the installation. £200 was raised at a village bazaar. She personally knitted and sold 500 pairs of baby socks during the three years it took to raise a total of £300 and 10 shillings for the project.  This was a considerable sum in Victorian times, equivalent to £32,000 today.

On either side of the fountain are two stone seats. The one on the left bears the date July 3rd 1862; the one on the right was inscribed ‘Rest for the weary’. Despite the restoration work, the latter is regretfully no longer entirely visible.  Around the stone arch of the fountain, it is believed the inscription read, ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow. 1862’.  There are conflicting accounts of the wording of these inscriptions and it is difficult to decipher them now.

Miss Townshend died ‘after many weeks of patient suffering’ in January 1873.  Her grave is in the northwest corner of Gresford churchyard. After her death, the Townshend family presented an elegant brass lectern to the church, in her memory. A stained glass window in her memory, and that of her brother John, was also placed in the church.

The brass lectern which still stands in the church today.

The stained glass window created in memory of Anne Townshend's brother John.

The fountain is unique. It is now a tribute to the bygone days of Gresford and we hope that locals and visitors are pleased with its new appearance.  

*Improving Marford and Gresford Environment AGENDA 21 Group 

REFERENCES

Gresford Village and Church and Royal Marford  J.Colin Jones1995

The Parishes of Gresford and Hope: Past and Present Sydney Gardner Jarman,1899

Wrexham Leader 23 May 1972 p.13

A History of the Old Parish of Gresford   1904  A. N. Palmer reprinted 1987 Bridge Books

Ardal y ffynnon cyn y gwaith

 Y PROSIECT

Roedd y grŵp gwirfoddol cymunedol IMAGE*, yn llwyddiannus yn ei gais am Grant Treftadaeth a Diwylliant gan Ogledd Gororau Cymru at ddibenion adfer y ffynnon ddŵr Fictorianaidd.  Cyfrannodd Cyngor Cymuned Gresffordd 25% o’r swm oedd ei angen er mwyn cyflawni’r prosiect.

Penderfynwyd y byddai’r arian grant hwn yn helpu i wireddu’r prosiect cyntaf fel rhan o gynllun Gwella Pentref Gresffordd.  Digwyddodd hyn o ganlyniad i Brosiect Dichonolrwydd Gwella’r Pentref 2013, a ariannwyd gan Gyngor Cymuned Gresffordd.

Roedd y ffynnon wedi ei hesgeuluso dros y blynyddoedd ers ei gosod yno.  Wedi ei chodi yn 1862, mae bellach wedi ei hadfer i’w chyflwr gwreiddiol cyn belled ag yr oedd modd. Cychwynnodd y gwaith ar y safle ar 21ain Hydref 2014 ac fe’i cwblhawyd ar 13eg Tachwedd 2014.  Roedd yn golygu glanhau’r prif strwythur yn ofalus, glanhau a chodi’r seddi carreg o bopty iddi, trwsio’r teils ceramig, pwyntio’r gwaith carreg gyda chalch, gosod cylch o balmant o flaen y ffynnon gyda cherrig Swydd Efrog, a chodi meinciau o gerrig Efrog.

Yn ogystal â hyn, gosodwyd plac o ddur gwrthstaen er anrhydedd i’r gymwynaswraig, Anne Townshend, ble’r arferid gweld cylch gyda thestun annelwig arno.  Er mwyn cael cyn lleied â phosibl o arwyddion, rhoddwyd cod QR yno.  Gyda chymorth technoleg ffonau deallus, mae hwn yn cysylltu gyda gwefan Cyngor Cymuned Gresffordd.  Mae’r tap yn dal ar goll a’r gobaith yw y gallwn ariannu hynny hefyd yn ei dro. Nid oes bwriad i adfer y cyflenwad dŵr.

Cwmni Bell Stone Masonry o Gaer fu’n gwneud y gwaith adfer.  Mae’r sioe sleidiau’n dango

Y GYMWYNASWRAIG, ANNE TOWNSHEND

Hyd 1861, roedd cyflenwad dwr ffres Gresffordd yn un gwael iawn.  Pwll budr, sydd bellach yn cael ei alw’n llyn, oedd y lle mwyaf cyfleus i gael dŵr, ac yno’r ai’r trigolion i nôl bwcedaid ar y tro.  Roedd ffynhonnau’n bodoli ond roedden nhw’n 100-120 troedfedd o ddyfnder ac roedd hi’n anodd cael mynediad atynt felly.

A dyna Miss Anne Townshend yn camu i’r adwy!  Roedd hi’n ail ferch i John Stanislaus Townshend o Hem a Trevalyn, oedd yn byw yn Trevalyn House yn Rossett o 1801.  Roedd hi’n wraig eithaf cefnog a dylanwadol yn yr ardal, a bu’n byw yn Westwood House, Lôn y Ficerdy, Gresffordd yn ddiweddarach.   

Ganed Miss Townshend ar 3 Ionawr, 1797. Aeth ati ar hyd ei hoes i helpu rhai anghenus ym mha bynnag fodd y gallai.   Yn 1860, ceisiodd gymorth ei chyfeillion ac eginodd y syniad o adeiladu peiriant hydrolig awtomatig y tu ôl i Ffynnon y Santes Catherine (yn Lôn Waelod).   Cai’r dŵr ei bwmpio drwy bibell modfedd o led i danc dwr mewn cae yn y pwynt ble roedd yr hen ffordd Caer a Wrecsam yn croesi drwy’r pentref.   O’r tanc hwn, pwmpiwyd dŵr i bedwar tap: Un yng nghanol y pentref, un gyferbyn a’r Plough, un ger yr eglwys ac un ar gornel Lôn Gul.   Roedd gan bob un o’r bythynnod allwedd.  Roedd llif y dŵr yn araf iawn a thyfodd lleoliadau’r tapiau yn fannau cyfarfod a hel clecs i wragedd y tai! Gweithiodd y system hon rhwng 1861 a 1916.

Ar ôl hynny, yn 1862, Miss Townshend, cododd Miss Townshend y ffynnon ddŵr yr ydym newydd ei hadfer, ar gyfer teithwyr.  Mae wedi ei lleoli ar y groesffordd rhwng Hen Ffordd Wrecsam a Ffordd caer, gyferbyn a’r Plough. Fe sefydlodd gronfa i dalu am osod y ffynnon.  Codwyd £200 mewn ffair yn y pentref.  Fe aeth hi ati i wau a gwerthu 500 o barau o sanau babanod yn ystod y tair blynedd a gymerodd i godi cyfanswm o £300 a 10 swllt ar gyfer y prosiect.  Roedd hwn yn swm anrhydeddus yn oes Fictoria, sy’n cyfateb i £32,000 heddiw.

O bopty i’r ffynnon y mae dwy sedd garreg. Ar yr un ar y chwith, y mae’r dyddiad Gorffennaf 3ydd 1862, ac ar yr un ar y dde mae’r geiriau “Rest for the weary”.  Er gwaetha’r gwaith adfer, yn anffodus, nid oes modd gweld y geiriau rheiny’n glir.  O amgylch bwa carreg y ffynnon, credir i’r geiriau hyn gael eu naddu yno – “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. 1862”. Mae’r union eiriad yn ansicr ac mae’n anodd iawn eu darllen erbyn hyn.

Bu farw Miss Townshend ar ôl sawl blwyddyn o ddioddef yn ddigwyn ym mis Ionawr 1873.  Mae ei bedd yn rhan ogledd orllewinol mynwent Gresffordd.   Ar ôl ei marwolaeth, cyflwynodd teulu’r Townshend ddarllenfa bres osgeiddig i’r eglwys, er cof amdani. Gosodwyd ffenestr liw yno hefyd er cof amdani hi a’i brawd, John.

 Mae’r ffynnon yn unigryw.   Mae bellach yn gofeb i’r hen oes yng Ngresffordd ac rydym yn gobeithio y bydd pobl leol ac ymwelwyr hefyd yn falch o’i newydd wedd.  Os hoffech adael sylwadau amdani, gwnewch hynny drwy’r ddolen hon.   

*Grŵp AGENDA 21 Gwella Amgylchedd Marffordd a Gresffordd