Singapore Stories

Welcome back, Gemmill Fountain!

2010-02-07T22:07:00.008+08:00

"Do you want to see the Gemmill Fountain?" Phoebe asks as she leans towards the camera. That's how our video "The Search for Singapore's First Public Drinking Fountain" from April last year ends. Well, we wanted to see the fountain but the Heritage Conservation Centre, where it was being kept, was not accepting any visitors because of their building expansion project.

Now fast forward 10 months:

Imagine our delight when an email came from NHB last month informing us that the fountain was being reinstalled at the National Museum! We were invited to the media event held last Friday and news of this appears in today's (Mon 8th Feb 2010) Straits Times and LianHeZaoBao.

The girls and I were really thrilled to finally come face-to-lion-face with the Gemmill Fountain and so glad that the fountain, now beautifully restored, is once again available "for the use of all nations at Singapore" as John Gemmill intended.

Watch this space!

2010-01-31T10:00:00.006+08:00

Great news! The Gemmill Fountain will be re-joining society very soon! Watch this space to find out where the new home of the fountain is located.

The Gemmill Fountain!

2009-05-13T18:20:00.013+08:00

Look what popped into my inbox today - a photo of the Gemmill Fountain! She's a beauty isn't she? They don't make drinking fountains like they used to. Many thanks to Angelita from the National Heritage Board.

Inscription on the fountain:

FOR THE USE OF ALL NATIONS

SINGAPORE

THIS DRINKING FOUNTAIN

OF PURE WATER IS THE GIFT OF

JOHN GEMMILL

FORMERLY OF THIS ISLAND

AND NOW OF LONDON

1864

click on picture for larger image

The search for Singapore's first public drinking fountain

2009-04-19T23:36:00.013+08:00

We were having lunch at the Nova Cafe at the National Museum last Sunday when I remembered reading somewhere that Singapore's first public drinking fountain could be found on the grounds of the museum. We have been to the museum many times but never encountered any old drinking fountain so I wasn't hopeful, but anyway no harm trying. True enough, the fountain was not to be found... but we did eventually locate it and it is not anywhere near the National Museum. Inspired by Heritage TV, I recorded our quest for the fountain on film. So watch our little documentary if you want to find out where Singapore's first public drinking fountain is!