Excerpt from
burlingtongazette.ca/what-do-we-have-in-burlington-that-r...:
There is actually an old green fountain at the City Hall on the corner of Brant and Ontario Streets honours King Edward VII.
Edward VII became King when his mother Queen Victoria died in 1901, and King Edward VII ruled from 1901 to 1910.
The King Edward VII fountain was dedicated 108 years ago, on 2 May 1912 by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Sir John Gibson.
The fountain was originally located at the foot of Brant Street and Water Street (now Lakeshore) next to what today is the Lakeshore Coffee House.
The fountain was later moved to Spencer Smith Park.
The fountain, manufactured in Hamilton, originally had a water trough for horses. The glass ball on top was larger than the one today.
The four Lion Heads at each corner (for the corners of the earth) match the four lion heads under the City Hall clock. Great Britain was once the most powerful country on earth – it stretched to the four corners of the earth.
As for the man the fountain was created to honour: Edward (Prince Albert) known as Bertie, was in the Golden Horseshoe in 1860 when he visited Toronto and Niagara Falls. He never did get to Burlington.
The fountain may be small but it stands its ground. It is the oldest public object still on display in the City of Burlington and has been there as our small town has grown to a great city.
