The Fountain Traditional Cache
highcliffhanger: Archiving this one as it has gone missing too many times and there's no alternative hiding place.
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(micro)
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A magnetic micro. Remember to bring your own pencil!
This cache meets the urban placement guidelines.
You are looking for a splendid piece of street furniture made of cast iron sitting quietly in one of Millport’s quietest streets. Unusually, despite its proximity to a number of dwellings, this item is not overlooked by any neighbouring properties.
Thomas Kennedy came to Kilmarnock from the West Highlands in 1824. He had realised the need for an accurate device for measuring water consumption, and with the help of John Cameron, the local clockmaker, he perfected a design that was patented in 1852. A syndicate of four people was formed to finance the manufacture and marketing of the invention, and this led to the formation in 1896 of a private company called “The Kennedy Patent Water Meter Co. Ltd.”. In 1865 the same individuals formed the Glenfield Co. Ltd to make castings for the Meter Company but gradually widened its interests and built up an extensive valve and hydraulic engineering business. In 1899 the two companies merged to form Glenfield and Kennedy Ltd., which became the largest company of its type in the Commonwealth.
You are looking for Kennedy’s patent self-closing ant-freezing pillar fountain which was installed here probably around 1860 to serve neighbouring properties in the area before running water in people’s homes was common. It was still possible to draw water from this fountain in the early 1980s. As with so much Victorian design it was important for something as utilitarian as a hydrant to be both attractive as well as functional, and it features a lion’s head. At one time these fountains, made in nearby Kilmarnock, would have been found in towns throughout Britain.
Although few of these fountains remain in the town, there is another identical (although much better cared for) fountain just round the corner in Barend Street – if you wish you could add a photo of yourself with the fountain to your log.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Chg lbhe evtug unaq ba gur yvba'f urnq naq jvgu lbhe yrsg lbh fubhyq svaq jung lbh frrx!