On Thursday 7 July the Royal Parks Foundation, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and renowned St James’s Park visitor Jools Holland launch the Tiffany Fountain, a stunning new 20 foot water plume, which takes centre stage in St James’s Park lake, leaping against the magnificent backdrop of Buckingham Palace, Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade.
As an enthusiast and regular visitor to St James’s Park, Jools Holland joins the celebrations to launch the fountain and bring it to life, commenting: “I am honoured to be involved with today’s launch. As a regular visitor of St James’s Park, I often enjoy peaceful walks along the lake; the sight and sound of the new Tiffany Fountain will be a stunning addition to the park.”
The creation of this new fountain has been made possible following a generous $1.25 million gift from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation to the Royal Parks Foundation (USA), a charity established to enable America to support the natural history and heritage of London’s Royal Parks.
Fernanda Kellogg, chair of the board of The Tiffany & Co. Foundation comments: “Last year, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a $1.25 million gift to the Royal Parks Foundation to help preserve the natural heritage within London’s eight Royal Parks. The Tiffany - Across the Water programme, which was developed with our funding really captures the essence of what we wanted to achieve and offers tangible benefits to millions of park users.”
The Tiffany - Across the Water programme, launched by The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in Summer 2010, focuses on restoring water features across the capital’s eight Royal Parks.
Mark Wasilewski, park manager for St James’s Park, adds: “We are delighted to be working with the Tiffany & Co. Foundation to restore an historical fountain in St James’s Park lake. The new Tiffany Fountain is a beautiful addition to John Nash’s celebrated landscape design and will greatly enhance the already special views across the park. I know the fountain will be much enjoyed by the many millions of people who visit the park each year.”
This striking new fountain comprises seven small jets, each individually angled to form the overall Cherrill profile that is seen from a distance. At night, the jet is complemented by high intensity LED lights, which can be adjusted to any one of a rainbow spectrum of colours illuminating the lake and creating a real sense of enchantment in the park.
Top facts about the new Tiffany Fountain
- The new fountain replaces an historical fountain first installed at Pelican Rock in 1966, which was then de-commissioned due to wear and tear in 1996
- The jet is capable of reaching a height of 8 metres and its position within the lake is aligned to the Balcony of Buckingham Palace
- The amount of water being continuously recycled from the lake through the jet would completely fill up your bath at home in 24 seconds
- The volume of water pumped is 42,000 litres per hour
- The lighting system uses low energy LEDs and is automatically switched off during the day
- A clever wind speed sensor is located at the end of Duck Island to signal to the fountain control system when to lower the water flow through the pump and reduce the jet height in strong winds. This will keep the fountain operating and avoid the pelicans having a cold shower in winter.
Sara Lom, chief executive of the Royal Parks Foundation adds: “We are very grateful to the Tiffany & Co. Foundation for this fabulous opportunity to restore a well-loved visitor attraction in St James’s Park. The fountain will not only help aerate St James’s Park lake and benefit the many species of wildlife dependent on its fresh water, it will also add to the wonderful vista between Whitehall and Buckingham Palace.”
Alongside the creation of this magnificent 20 foot tall plume fountain in St James’s Park, The Tiffany - Across the Water programme will also see the restoration of the much-loved 19th century Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens, as well as improvements to drinking fountains to benefit the Royal Parks’ 37 million visitors each year.
7 July 2011
