Swaffham Prior Past - The Fountain
The drinking fountain and horse trough beside the road at the entrance to Swaffham Prior village were installed by the squire Charles Allix who, in the late 19th century, brought a piped water supply from Cadenham to the village and to his home, Swaffham Prior House. The shelter over the drinking fountain was built by the Adams brothers (Tom and Philip) in about 1874. It was modelled on similar fountain shelters in France: the Allix family was of French Hugenot descent. "The Fountain" was a delightful little building made of brickwork of two colours. The bricks forming the arches were curved in two planes of space by careful grinding. The Adams brothers erected the whole building "dry" beforehand in the yard behind their dwelling (now 25 High Street, near the Old Forge) so as to be sure that each brick was of the right shape before it was mortared into place. The conical roof was tiled, with a lead capping at the top.
The Fountain was destroyed in February 1957 by a local farmer, Laurie Woollard, who had persuaded Mr. Allix (son of the original owner) to let him remove it because (he claimed) it was a source of disturbance, a gathering place for ne'er-do-wells, and so dilapidated that it was a possible danger. Mr. Woollard's farm workers came out early one morning and knocked down the fountain shelter. The circular brick floor remained, and for several years someone in the village used to place a vase of flowers on it. There was a rare fuss in the village when the fountain went.
Tom and Philip Adams were skilled bricklayers. They built the Chapel at Swaffham Prior, and Granta House (formerly the shop and dwelling house of Herbert Lowe the baker) and Mill House near the windmill. The brothers also did repair work for the Colleges in Cambridge where they had a builders' yard. They lived in Cambridge during the week, and came to Swaffham Prior at week ends. Tom was the faster walker, so he gave his brother an hour's start when they walked into Cambridge on Monday mornings, and they arrived together. During frosty spells they skated into Cambridge on Sunday evenings. In Swaffham Prior they sang in the church choir. They were distinctive village characters with their long white beards.