King Edward VII Jewish Memorial Drinking Fountain

About

The King Edward VII Jewish Memorial Drinking Fountain is a drinking fountain on Whitechapel Road in the Whitechapel area located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A plaque on the fountain records that it was erected "from subscriptions raised from Jewish inhabitants of East London" in memory of Edward VII. The idea for the memorial was conceived by the writer Annie Gertrude Landa. It was unveiled on 15 March 1912 by Charles Rothschild. The figures are the work of the sculptor William Silver Frith. The fountain is made from white stone with a tapered central square pillar. The pillar is surmounted by a bronze angel, with bronze figures of the Angel of Peace, the Angel of Liberty and the figure of Justice and cherubs on the faces of the pillar.

Each of the cherubs holds an object of significance to the Jewish community at the time of the memorial's unveiling. One cherub holds a ship; many members of the local Jewish community were recent immigrants. A cherub holding a needle and thread signifies the clothing industry which employed the majority of the East End Jewish community until the 1970s. A book is held by another cherub signifying the importance of education to the community...