Steble Fountain

Why go

Marine gods, a mermaid and decorative overflow outlets turn a street fountain into a compact sculpture lesson. The fountain also fills a gap in the civic setting between St George's Hall and William Brown Street. Stop while walking between the gallery and Wellington Column, and judge it by its metalwork even if the water is off.

What to look for

• Neptune, Amphitrite, Acis and Galatea appear around the base.
• Scallops, roses and marine faces decorate the upper overflow outlets.
• A mermaid holding a cornucopia crowns the fountain.

The full story

Former Liverpool mayor Richard Fell Steble offered money for a fountain in 1877, when the space between St George's Hall and the William Brown Street buildings still had an undeveloped gap. The fountain was unveiled in 1879. Its design came from Michel Joseph Napoléon Liénard, and the casting had originally been prepared for the Paris Exposition of 1867. That international origin sits comfortably among Liverpool's ambitious civic architecture, but the fountain also had a very local practical problem. At the opening ceremony, weak water pressure made the display disappointing. A steam pump beneath St George's Hall later drove it, though its noise disturbed court business above. Look past the question of whether water is flowing today and inspect the cast-iron forms: marine figures stand around the basin, decorated outlets ring the bowl and a mermaid rises at the top. The fountain is both an engineering object and a sculptural one.

Useful to know

• View it with Wellington Column and St George's Hall in one short outdoor circuit.
• Allow for weather exposure, and do not rely on the fountain being in operation.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.