Langston Memorial Fountain, Churchill

Image: © Philip Halling Taken: 7 Jun 2017

Memorial fountain in memory of James Langston, erected by his daughter, Julie Countess and son-in-law 3rd Earl of Ducie in 1870. Image] The Ducie ancestral home was Tortworth in south Gloucestershire, today it is a luxury hotel. Image] Pevsner is not very complimentary in his description, describing it as "Memorably ugly. A squat, square tower with obelisks and flying buttresses carrying a dumpy spire. The water drips from a rude spout at the side." Historic England description Memorial fountain. 1870 for Julia, Countess of Ducie, in memory of her father, James Haughton Langston. Limestone memorial set in polished granite basin. Tudor Gothic style. Memorial in form of a squat, square tower with stepped chamfered plinth and embattled parapet with blind traceried frieze and band of armorial shields below. Pyramidal corner pinnacles with setback buttresses linked to central crocketed spirelet with octagonal balcony to base by flying buttresses. Pinnacles have cast-iron spikes and spirelet has iron cross. East side has ogee-headed plank door with ballflower ornament to surround and west side has spout set in trefoil-headed recess pouring water into circular trough. This is set in large square basin with apsidal projection to each face. Recessed rectangular panel on south has superscription "THIS MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN WAS ERECTED BY/HENRY JOHN 3D EARL OF DUCIE AND/JULIA HIS WIFE DAUGHTER OF/JAMES HAUGHTON LANGSTON AD1870". Similar panel on north reads "TO THE MEMORY OF JAMES HAUGHTON LANGSTON/OF SARSDEN BORN MAY 25 1796 DIED OCT. 19 1863/ AND OF JULIA FRANCES DAUGHTER OF THOMAS/1 EARL OF DUCIE BORN OCT.25 1805 DIED JUNE 25 1869". Superscription in Gothic script beginning above latter panel and running around west and south sides: "NAN:SILN:SOLUM", repeated to west, and "PERSPUPRAU 0" to south side. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p545) [2492] Source:https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1283884

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