Trumpet Drinking Fountain
As you admire the magnificent Kensington Palace from within Kensington Gardens, see if you can spot its newest drinking fountain, affectionately known as ‘Trumpet’.
Launched in January 2012 by the Trumpeters from the Band of the Life Guards, this fountain is positioned on the broadwalk, outside Kensington Palace. The Trumpet Drinking Fountain was one of two winning designs chosen from an international competition, to find ‘the ultimate drinking fountain’ for London's eight Royal Parks, along with another drinking fountain called 'Watering Holes'.
Drinking fountains have played an important part in London’s history since 1859 when the first fountain was unveiled in Snow Hill and within 11 years there were 140 fountains across the capital.
With millions of visitors every year, providing fresh water in The Royal Parks is a real necessity. Drinking enough water is key to maintaining your health and general well-being - and not only are public drinking fountains good for your health but they are also great for the environment too. They are much more energy-efficient than producing bottled water, taking 2,000 times less energy to produce tap water than bottled water.
Trumpet was designed by Ben Addy of Moxon Architects, and the judges selected this design as a result of its formal clarity and elegance.
This fountain is part of the Tiffany Across the Water restoration project, and has been made possible following a generous $1.25 million gift from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation to restore and renew the ornamental and drinking fountains across London’s eight Royal Parks.