The Boy (fountain)
| The Boy | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Artist | Charles Henry Mabey |
Completion date | 1863 |
| Location | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | The Boy Fountain, North of Birdcage Walk/Queen Anne's Gate Junction |
| Designated | 1 December 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1235671 |
The Boy is a Grade II listed drinking fountain with sculpture by Charles Henry Mabey in St James's Park, London, across Birdcage Walk from Queen Anne's Gate.[1]
The fountain has a marble sculpture of a boy (sometimes called a "Greek boy")[2] with a pitcher and holding a scallop shell; he is naked except for his breeches. The figure is set on a granite pedestal which has marble panels on three sides. On the panels are stylised dolphin heads, which would originally have spouted water into the projecting conch shells, against a background of bullrushes.[3]
The fountain was installed in 1863 by the Office of Works, under William Cowper as First Commissioner of Works; another example of improvements the office was carrying out at the same time is Alexander Munro's Boy and Dolphin fountain in Hyde Park.[3] The sculptor of The Boy was Charles Henry Mabey, working under Robert Jackson.[4]
There are reports of damage to the sculpture in 1905, 1906 and 1925, and the current head, right arm, left hand and both big toes are replacements[3] made in the late 20th century.[2] The most recent unveiling of the repaired sculpture was on 22 December 1993 by Douglas Hurd.[3] Following plans for the Memorial to Elizabeth II which will use the site, The Boy is to be moved to the western end of the park.[5]
The Boy and Dolphin fountain in Hyde Park (Alexander Munro, 1863)
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References
[edit]- ↑ "The Boy Fountain, North of Birdcage Walk/queen Anne's Gate Junction, Non Civil Parish – 1235671 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- 1 2 Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2005). Westminster. London (Repr. with corr ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 654. ISBN 978-0-300-09595-1.
- 1 2 3 4 Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. p. 240.
- ↑ "Monuments in St. James's Park | The Royal Parks". www.royalparks.org.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Queen Elizabeth II memorial to be built at St James' Park". BBC News. 9 April 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
External links
[edit]
Media related to The Greek Boy Fountain (St. James's Park) at Wikimedia Commons
