Saturday 19th November saw the launch of The Fountain, Found! An exhibition at Grimsby’s Turntable Gallery in collaboration with Grimsby Cleethorpes and District Civic Society.
Until December 17th, this exhibition will tell the story of the Victorian businessman, philanthropist, lover of the arts and past Mayor, Edward Bannister. And at the centre, literally, is the Fountain – or remains of it – which he presented to the townspeople in 1869.
see the website for Bannister Legacy
Today’s Mayor, Councillor Steve Beasant, was invited to the opening day and spoke with the gallery’s owners Darren Neave and Dale Wells and also to Kerry Henderson, the Society’s Projects Co-ordinator. Many people called in on that first day and many more have done so in the days since.
The following GCDCS images show 1 the fountain canopy in close up, 2 Mayor Beasant being shown Spring Street Art School history by Kerry Henderson and 3 Darren Neave of Turntable Gallery showing Mayor Beasant the Fountain's Canopy in detail
After many years of searching, the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society located it and Exec. member Kerry Henderson launched a petition to bring the fountain back into public view. Along the way, searches into Bannister’s history found that although he started out life as a landscape painter, the name ‘Bannister’ for many, many years meant ‘coal’ to the district’s households due to his business of Edward Bannister Co. Ltd, coal suppliers. That business lead to him becoming Mayor as well as being influential in establishing an Art College in Silver Street Grimsby which launched the aspirations of many, and sat on the Boards of many welfare establishments at the root of today’s organisations (Princess Diana of Wales Hospital being one). One of the purely philanthropic things he did was present to the town the ornate drinking fountain on Cleethorpe Road opposite Dock Offices in Albert Gardens which no longer exists.
After many years this fountain disappeared from both public view and safe storage (apart from a short period in St James’ Square), appearing only recently out of Grimsby in a broken, partial state – and it is in this state that we see it today at this exhibition.
Funding has been gained only to borrow, transport and display the parts for 1 month. Working with the Victoria Street gallery, this new exhibition will display the fountain and Bannister’s legacy in Grimsby for one month for locals to see it and build conversations about area’s artifacts and history.
Grimsby Cleethorpes and district Civic Society are grateful to Turntable Gallery for enabling this departure from their usual contemporary art displays but the undeniable link between art provision in the town going back decades, through to today’s artistic endeavours cannot be ignored.
The Fountain, Found! 19th November to 17th December
Tuesday to Saturday, 11-4pm
Turntable Gallery, 8, Victoria Street, Grimsby, DN31 1DP
www.turntablegallery.uk