The Victoria Fountain and the War Memorial

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

e) VICTORIA FOUNTAIN : Standing at the centre of the southern enclosure, this listed fountain was inaugurated on 25 May 1846 for the Queen’s twenty-seventh birthday. Designed by A.H.Wilds, it was financed jointly by John Cordy Burrows and a public subscription, and was cast at the Eagle Foundry in Gloucester Road . It stands thirty-two feet high, with two shallow basins supported by three cast-iron dolphins above a large pool, and has a base of sarsen stones which were found in the Steine by workmen in 1823. To commemorate the inauguration, local musician Charles Coote composed the Fountain Quadrilles. In 1990 the top of the fountain was removed for restoration. {44,49,123,141}

f) WAR MEMORIALS: The Brighton War Memorial stands within the northern enclosure of the Steine. Unveiled on 7 October 1922 by Earl Beatty, it was designed in the form of a Roman water garden by Sir John Simpson. The pylons record the names of 2,597 men and 3 women of Brighton who fell in the First World War. The statue of George IV had originally stood on the site, but it was removed to the North Gate of the Royal Pavilion . At the northern end of the Steine is the Egyptian Campaign Memorial of the Royal Sussex Regiment, a plain obelisk with a list of officers and men who fell in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, and the Nile River Expedition of 1884-5 to relieve Gordon at Khartoum. The base states simply ‘Egypt’ and ‘Abu Klea’, a battle fought in the Sudan on 17 January 1885. The memorial was erected in 1888 and is now listed. {115,295,311}
Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.

Comments about this page

  • Does anyone have a copy of the sheet music of the Fountain Quadrille composed by Charles Coote for the Steine fountain opening ceremony?

    By Jo Goddard (02/06/2011)
  • I would like to see a list of the names of the dead soldiers.

    By Christina (03/07/2012)
  • This was such a great area, particularly in the summer with the fountain colours’ changing and the flower beds. I particularly remember how great the beds with tulips and wall flowers were- the latter with such a lovely strong scent. I am talking about the mid 1950s.

    By Ken Ross (05/07/2012)
  • @Jo Goddard, did you find the music?

    By jake sharpstone (05/10/2023)

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