Job: 3088
Type: Plaza
Project: Shakespeare Fountain, Leicester Square
Client: Westminster City Council
Installation: 2010
Challenge:
The 19th Century Grade II listed water feature and Leicester Square were being remodelled and Ustigate were commissioned to construct a modern plaza feature around the historic Shakespeare Fountain. The work in the square was complex due to the amount of underlying services and structures. Ustigate had to construct a bespoke doughnut shaped ring around the Shakespeare Fountain for water storage.
Success:
The 1874 Grade II listed Shakespeare Fountain at Leicester Square, London includes a modern plaza water feature designed and built by Ustigate.
Ustigate carried out exhaustive mock up and testing to decide upon the most appropriate system given the winning criteria required a robust product that would deliver a high quality performance for a long time. The feature now consists of 40 jets that run on a multitude of sequences, along with white LED lighting, wind speed control, and a PWTAG compliant filtration system that provides safe and clean water for members of the public to interact with the feature. The historic status of the fountain and area required our engineers and technicians to work sensitively in the area.
Maintenance:
Significantly reduced from original installation. Occasional attendances are requested for training and system checks.
History:
A statue of William Shakespeare has formed the centrepiece of Leicester Square Gardens in London since 1874. Sculpted by Giovanni Fontana, the marble figure is copied from Peter Scheemaker’s monument in Poets Corner at Westminster Abbey. William Shakespeare stands on a pedestal flanked by dolphins at the centre of the fountain. The monument is the result of improvements to the gardens made by the financier Albert Grant, who bought the Square in 1874 and had it refurbished to a design by James Knowles.
