Bideford water fountain to spout again after a decade of silence

A ‘spectacular’ tidal water fountain in Bideford which has been out of action for more than a decade is to be repaired.

Torridge District Council gave the go ahead for £60,000 to be spent on the fountain which was installed to mark the late queen’s golden jubilee in 2002.

The money will come from nearly £300,000 the government has provided for projects in the district.

Councillors heard this week that Bideford Harbour Board had been pushing to get the fountain repaired and it is very popular with the public.

Above: The watery centre-piece on Bideford Quay has been silent for 10 years. Credit: TDC

Economic development officer for the council Chris Fuller said the fountain’s systems had been assessed as ‘over-engineered’.

“Because it was so highly overcomplicated it was not able to be fixed at the time because it would have required specialist parts to be made,” he said.

“Modern technology, I am informed, has allowed it to move forward with a far more straightforward solution. A number of companies have looked at it.”

Councillor Annie Brenton said she instigated the fountain which worked at high tide and cost ‘pence to operate’.

She said: “We have two tides a day but we could put in a mechanism to have it operating more often so it’s working for festivals and events.

“It was absolutely spectacular, everyone used to come down and see it. It was really something worth having, magnificent!”

And in response to concerns about people and property getting wet, she said all the water went into the river, not on the quay, or near people or vehicles.

Above: Credit: TDC

The rest of the cash from the government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund will go on delivering ‘playzone’ to encourage participation in sports in Bideford, Great Torrington and Holsworthy; play area upgrades in Bideford, Hartland and Winkleigh and public realm and signage improvements in Bideford.

Nearly £1million is being spent on the playzones, with 75 per cent of the funding coming from the Football Foundation.

New signs in Bideford will replace ‘antiquated’ signage and will link the town with its maritime heritage and give it a ‘more distinctive’ feel.

All the projects will be completed within the next 12 months.

Torridge District Council has received nearly £1m from the REPF since 2023 which has supported the Great Torrington Market Hall renovations, the Plough Arts Centre in Torrington and Holsworthy Amateur Dramatic Society; leisure improvements for Active Torridge, including pool decarbonisation and a new services centre for the council.