Last updated on 13 January 2026
A joint project between Kingston Council and the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) has brought new life to two historic drinking fountains in the borough – including the fountain at King Edward’s recreation ground on Hook Road, Chessington.
Once a common sight across London, hundreds of drinking fountains were installed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many were later switched off in the 1960s and 70s, falling into disrepair through vandalism and neglect. The Kingston fountains are now among 18 restored so far by the Heritage of London Trust, with a further six currently undergoing conservation.
King Edward’s rec itself has a long local history. Formerly agricultural land, the recreation ground was created in May 1901 in honour of the newly crowned King Edward VII. The drinking fountain was added a few years later, in 1906, by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association. It was funded by Francis Stephen Clayton of Hook – a local lawyer and philanthropist whose charity, Francis Stephen Clayton for the Poor, remains registered today.
The fountain’s original unveiling was a significant local event. According to the Surrey Comet (May 1901), the ceremony drew “a large number of villagers, and the school children”, and the gift was warmly welcomed as a valuable addition to the recreation ground.
As part of the 2025 restoration, the fountain was carefully dismantled, its outdated plumbing removed, and new granite carvings created to match the original neck and urn. The inscription has been repainted in enamel and gilded, and the fountain has now been fully re‑plumbed and re‑erected, ready to serve the community once again.
The Heritage of London Trust – an independent charity founded in 1980 to protect the capital’s historic buildings and monuments – continues its work to preserve landmarks like this one for future generations.
