Ross Fountain

About Ross Fountain

Ross Fountain is an ornate cast-iron fountain in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Designed by French sculptor Jean-Baptiste-Jules Klagmann and cast by Antoine Durenne, it was first displayed at the International Exhibition in London in 1862. Edinburgh gunsmith Daniel Ross later bought the fountain and presented it to the city. After shipment to Leith, it was erected in Princes Street Gardens in 1872. The tall Second Empire design includes gilded ironwork, lions’ heads, scallop-shell basins, mermaids holding overflowing urns, and four female figures representing Science, Art, Industry and Poetry. A larger female figure with a cornucopia crowns the structure. Historic Environment Scotland records Ross Fountain as a Category A listed building, with the listing added in 1970. The fountain forms part of the historic monument collection in West Princes Street Gardens, between Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town, with Edinburgh Castle rising above the western end of the gardens.

Practical details

Full address

Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2HG, United Kingdom

Sources

• portal.historicenvironment.scot
• www.edinburghoutdoors.org.uk

Checked 2026-10-01

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