[Unveiled 1860]
Designer: Jacob Wrey Mould
1825-1886 • England
Located just west of Bethesda Fountain enclosed in a circular plaza atopCherry Hill, Central Park, resides the
Cherry Hill Fountain.
This ornamental structure, originally
designed as a watering trough for horses
during the 19th century provided people
on horseback or in carriages a place to rest,
admire the view of the Lake and water
their animals. The water gently sprays
out of eight little gold flowers into a circle
of gilded black goblet shaped bowls.
As the water overflows, it spills onto a
granite dome before gently dripping into
the sculpted bluestone basin inset with
Minton tiles. Crowning this 14-foot high
tower are eight frosted round glass lamps
and a golden spire.
All this for a horse, you may ask.
Not exactly. Times have changed and
now even the horses are not allowed
to drink from what was at one time their
very own fountain. Sadly, for 16 years
water did not flow from this fountain. In
1998, the Central Park Conservancy
along with a gift from Elizabeth and
Clement Moore, restored the operation
of this magical fountain.
