The Diana Fountain in our local Bushy Park is a seventeenth –century ensemble and water feature in an eighteenth century setting with a surrounding pool which holds 17 million litres of water. Originally created for Somerset House in the 1630’s and remodelled about 1690 the fountain has stood in its present position since 1712. It is the focal point of two major vistas designed by Sir Christopher Wren including Chestnut Avenue which is the ceremonial landward approach to Hampton Court Palace.
The bronze sculptures were originally commissioned by Charles 1st. The execution of the gilt statue which forms the pinnacle of the tableaux is attributed to Hebert le Sueur as generally are the other metal sculptures which remain ungilded.
The female figure on top of the fountain has been known variously as Diana, Venus and even Prosperina. The current official view is that she represents Diana and the fountain continues to be known as the “Diana Fountain”.
Charles 1st had the Longford river dug from the river Colne to Hampton Court Palace in order to power the palace water features and in 1713 Sir Christopher Wren utilised this water to give the complex a set of gravity fed water spouts.
The Diana Restoration was the last of the major projects funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund grant to Bushy Park. The restoration process lasted throughout 2009.
Once the pool had been cordoned off and water allowed to drain away the silt at the bottom of the pool had to be carefully removed before work could start on the restoration of the fountain itself.
But that could not start until the risk of frost had gone. Nothing was known about the base. It may have been delicate brick which would easily be damaged by frost. When the silt had been cleared a previously unknown brick ring was uncovered. It was about some ten feet inside the present wall and possibly built during the 1660s. It is not recorded when the pool was widened to its present size, although Ordnance Survey maps of 1913 and 1955 appear to show the pool at different sizes
The other discovery was that at some time there had been another fountain in the pool. That base is some fifteen feet to the south of the present one. It clearly shows where a water channel existed. Both of these discoveries were only on view for a day or two and have now been covered up.
Once the scaffolding was erected in early July, it was possible for the first time to assess the extent of any damage. Many of the carved stones were in a bad state and needed to be replaced. Eighty two pieces of new stone were carved during the restoration. The four scallop shells were not made of stone as was thought originally, but of bronze and the weight of these - between 180 and 250 kilos each caused some stress fractures in the supporting scrolls beneath. Most of them had to be replaced. The carving was done entirely by hand. Each piece had to be fitted into the correct space and then finished off so that the final shaping fitted with each of the adjoining pieces. In many places rusting brackets, which had held the carved stones together, were corroded causing the stones themselves to crack or sometimes splitting the joints. Every joint in the fountain was repaired using a mix of lime and Portland stone dust.
Diana herself stands on a piece of Carrara marble which is tilted so that the statue is not vertical. It was originally constructed that way and will be replaced at exactly the same angle so that the statue leans as before. In fact it was discovered that Diana had only been held in place by three metal spikes hammered into lead plugs. The fourth one split the stone during installation 300 years ago so that the statue has only been held in place by three spikes – and gravity. The main structure of the fountain is Portland Stone. The top part, on which all the statues stand, is Carrara marble, and that rests on a layer of black marble. On the stone underneath Diana is carved a crown with the date AR 1712 hidden from view for almost 300 years.
All the bronzes, thirteen in all, were removed to a workshop in Brixton, where they were cleaned and treated with six layers of wax to help them survive the elements and atmosphere for another 300 years. When the bronze work was examined it was discovered that the sirens and boys were made in pairs. The monsters too, on which the sirens sit astride, were also different - some have teeth, and others do not. The boys at the corners of the statue all hold a fish. At some point the south east boy’s fish was replaced with one made of lead. Two of the sirens have missing fingers, almost certainly caused by badly placed straps during a lifting process and probably inflicted when the statues were moved from Hampton Court. Each piece of bronze which was replaced has been dated.
After much discussion it was decided that Diana should be gilded. The process of gilding starts with four coats of yellow paint, before a coating of glue to which the gold leaf is applied. Diana was covered with two layers of gold leaf. Each layer took five days to apply. Diana was then left to stand for three weeks to allow the gold to bond to the layers underneath.
The water works which feed the fountain were replaced and at the end of October the bronzes were returned to the park.
On 17th November and on schedule Diana returned to Bushy. The base stone was secured to the stone underneath and then Diana was carefully raised and lowered over the fixing bolts. In order to dissuade the birds the statue was fitted with some spikes and bird scarers were placed behind the sirens. Once in position the removal of the scaffolding could start. Each layer of bronze and stone being given a final clean as the scaffolding was lowered and the whole fountain could be seen in its pristine state from around the park
The Fountain was listed as Grade 11 in 1952 and reclassified as Grade 1 in 2011 after the restoration.
The illustrated talk was very well received and the vote of thanks given by John Ould.
He further commented that he had arrived in Teddington over 50 years ago when he had first gazed upon Chestnut Avenue and the Fountain and he was delighted that this golden anniversary had been marked by the restoration and the gilding of the statue of Diana!