The project to restore Paisley’s Grand Fountain to its former glory has been nominated for a prestigious UK-wide conservation award.
The intricate cast-iron A-listed structure – one of the town’s architectural treasures – was painstakingly returned to its original Victorian-era condition last year.
And it has been named on the shortlist for the Icon Awards 2015 – which attracts entries from some of the highest-profile projects in the conservation world.
The fountain project has been nominated for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Award for the Conservation of an Industrial Heritage Artefact.
The fountain – notable for its distinctive walrus sculptures – was gifted to the town by the Coats family in 1868 and has been the centerpiece of the Fountain Gardens ever since – but fell into disrepair over the years.
The year-long work saw it taken off site and restored piece-by-piece, before being reassembled and restored to full working condition last summer.
The £650,000 project included funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Scotland – and was delivered with help from local groups Friends of the Fountain Gardens and the STAR Project.
It could be the Grand Fountain project’s second triumph of the year, with it having already won at the Museums and Heritage Awards in London – ahead of nominees from the Tate Galleries and the Bletchley Park WW2 heritage site.
Councillor Terry Kelly, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Planning and Property Policy Board, said: “The Grand Fountain is one of the most stunning examples of Paisley’s rich architectural heritage.
“We were delighted to be able to bring it back to life last year and thrilled that the project continues to be recognised at a UK level as having been an outstanding example of conservation work.
“The fountain itself is a unique structure and one with direct links to our proud textile-making past. That heritage will be at the centre of Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 when we hope to retell the town’s story to the world once again.”
The specialist contractors for the project were Wigan-based Lost Art Limited – who developed new techniques to improve the process of cast-iron restoration – and conservation engineer Jim Mitchell of Industrial Heritage Consulting Limited.