Where is the Fountain? Update on Market Street Fountain Undergoing Repairs

The Whyte Melville Memorial Fountain, located on Market Street, is undergoing a series of emergency repairs as part of a larger effort to conserve it. The North East Area Fife Committee, part of Fife Council, has invested £7,250 into the project.

The Pilgrim Foundation, a charity that does historical conservation and development in St Andrews, is currently engaged in a larger-scale conservation project on the fountain with funds from Fife Council. Money for the project comes from the St Andrews Common Good Fund. The Common Good Funds are grants from Fife Council given to local projects with a community benefit.

Comments on local Facebook forums had suggested that Fife Council could be planning to restore the fountain ahead of the University’s summer graduations. However, Fife Council declined The Saint’s request for comment regarding progress on the fountain’s renovation. In a statement to The Saint, the Chairman of Trustees of the Pilgrim Foundation said the fountain is still under repair and reconstruction.

The funding of £7,250 covers “emergency repairs to the fountain’s foundations and new perimeter drainage,” according to a Fife Council press release, discovered after the fountain was dismantled as part of the larger conservation effort. Fife Council also stated that specialist contractors found that the fountain’s original foundations would not be strong enough to support the fountain once reinstalled, thus necessitating the repairs.

The Whyte Melville Memorial Fountain was installed in 1880 by Lady Catherine Melville as a memorial to her son, Major George Whyte Melville, who was a novelist, poet, and soldier born near St Andrews. The four marble plates on the fountain depict an image of Whyte Melville, an epitaph, his family’s coat of arms, and the coat of arms of the Coldstream Guards — his regiment in the British Army.

According to the Fife Council website, several council members have announced their support for the project.

“The Whyte Melville Fountain is a well‑loved feature in the heart of St Andrews, and we know how much it means to local people,” Councillor Jonny Tepp said in a statement on the Fife Council website. “This investment ensures the restoration can continue without delay and that the fountain will be reinstated in a safe and stable condition, operating as was originally intended. I’m pleased the Committee has been able to support this work, which helps preserve an important part of our shared heritage.”

Photo by Maria Ebrahim