Fountain granted Grade II listing
- Published
An Essex town's 1970s fountain has been granted a Grade II listing.
The civic fountain in Southend-on-Sea, was listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.
A spokesperson for Historic England said the feature was a "rare surviving example" of a public fountain by well-known architectural sculptor, William Mitchell.
The fountain was part of a Civic Centre complex created in 1967 which included a 16-storey council office block, a college, police headquarters and courthouse.
A civic square was designed to form the "central heart" of the scheme with a round pool and fountain.
The fountain has panels which depict the story of Southend’s nautical and religious history.
It has three sculptural stone panels, which stand in a circle in a round pool.
A spokesperson for Historic England said: "The imagery represents the motto of Southend-on-Sea ‘Per Mare Per Ecclesiam’ which means 'through the sea, through the church' and the city’s coat of arms."
The south facing panel has a bearded religious figure on its outward face, possibly representing St Clement.
There is also a hooded monk-like figure on its inward face which could represent the Cluniac Priory of St Mary, Prittlewell, added the spokesperson.
Eilíse McGuane, Historic England's listing advisor, said: “This exciting sculptural work was an integral part of the post-war renewal of Southend-on-Sea."
"It is a rare surviving example of a public fountain by William Mitchell, one of the most celebrated sculptors of the late 20th Century."
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