Smollett Fountain, Alexandria

An ornate fountain on Main Street in Alexandria (West Dunbartonshire), the Smollett Fountain was erected in 1870 in appreciation of Alexander Smollett MP (1801-81), a much-admired landowner and nephew of Lt-Col Alexander Smollett (d.1799), who gave his name to the town. The younger Smollett had done much to improve living conditions in the Vale of Leven, including bringing clean drinking water to Alexandria. The High Gothic fountain looks like a series of pulpits rising above a Mercat Cross. Its highly-decorated basins are supported on columns rising from a massive base, and the structure is surmounted by a cast-iron heron, which gazes skywards. The base is surrounded by black railings and lamp-standards. Quoted from the Scottish Places website.