Fitzgerald Fountain

At Metro Cinema junction in Mumbai, visitors can spot a recently restored historical monument—a 16-ton fountain cast in wrought iron known as the Fitzgerald Fountain.

This fountain was originally erected in 1867 by the Esplanade Committee in honor of Sir Seymour Fitzgerald, the governor of Bombay from 1867 to 1872. The fountain contained a central gas lamp and drinking fountains. The lamp was extinguished in the 1880s because ships often mistook it for light from Mumbai Port Trust.

In the 1960s, the fountain was dismantled and shifted to Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum at Byculla. In 2018, restoration work on the fountain was started by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. In 2021, the work was completed and the fountain was returned to the Metro Cinema junction.

There is another interesting story behind this monument. This fountain was cast at Barwell and Co’s Eagle Foundry in Northampton, England. Incidentally, this fountain also had an identical twin. The other fountain known as Samuel Isaac Fountain, was installed in 1863 at Market Square in Northampton. Later, it was dismantled in 1962.

Today, Fitzgerald Fountain stands in its original location and has been expertly restored, transporting viewers back in time.