The iconic Ross Fountain, beautifully situated in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh right beneath Edinburgh Castle.
The Ross Fountain is a 19th-century cast-iron masterpiece, originally cast by Antoine Durenne’s foundry in Sommevoire, France, and sculpted by Jean‑Baptiste Jules Klagmann.
After being showcased at the Great Exhibition in London in 1862, it was purchased by Scottish gunsmith Daniel Ross for £2,000, who gifted it to the city of Edinburgh.
The fountain was shipped in 122 pieces to Leith in 1869, and ultimately installed in its present site in 1872.
The design features four elegantly sculpted female figures, each representing Science, Arts, Poetry, and Industry, with a crowning figure holding a cornucopia.
The lower tiers are ornately decorated with mermaids, walrus and lion heads, and cherub-faced spouts, all cast in iron.
The fountain was out of use for many years before a £1.9 million restoration project began in 2017, led by the Ross Development Trust in partnership with conservation experts.
Reopened on 8 July 2018, it now features its original turquoise, brown, and gold colour scheme and operates continuously, thanks to a new pumping mechanism and LED lighting installed in 2018.
Restoration consumed 650 litres of paint, 40,000 hours of work, and saw scaffolding removal by summer of 2018.
Initially controversial: Dean Ramsay, the nearby St John’s Episcopal dean, called it “grossly indecent and disgusting” for its nudity and flamboyant style—a reaction that faded over time.
In September 2024, it was named the UK’s most picturesque fountain, ranking 10th globally in an Instagram-based study with nearly 12,000 posts featuring the fountain.
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