Cattle troughs in Hastings

[mdfcta]

An earlier thread discussed the Castello drinking fountain. The charity responsible for the fountain also erected 5 granite cattle/horse troughs in the town. Two are still extant, both converted to flower-planters: One is outside the Museum; the other is opposite the gates of the cemetery on The Ridge. Both have been moved from their original locations. Does anyone know where these 2 troughs were moved from; and what happened to the other 3?

[Richard]

mdfcta wrote:
"The charity responsible for the fountain also erected 5 granite cattle/horse troughs in the town."

I don't know of any charity involved with the Castello Fountain.

[Richard]

The only 'official' source I am aware, of for Horse Troughs, was via the 'Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association' and presumably there was some type of arrangement where members of the public, wishing to dedicate one to a relative, could pay the Council a fee for inscribing one ordered through that 'body'.
Perhaps In much the same way as public benches are, today, inscribed to a loved one?
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The Hastings Observer 13th Nov1954 p11. reported that the Highways and Works Committee had decided to retain only four of the borough's ten horse troughs and drinking fountains.
The four to be kept were:
- at Battle Road; placed there in 1898 by Margaret Rowe Lewis.
- at Gillsman's Hill; erected in 1873 ("the earliest and best looking of the 10")
- at the Ridge at Elphinstone Road
- drinking fountain and horse trough at High Street, Old Town; inscribed "To a father's memory - Amelia Shepherd, only daughter of Francis William Staines, 36 years resident in the borough (1878)" Mr Staines was a prominent figure in the borough.

To be removed were the troughs:
- at Silverhill Junction (of cast iron)
- in Braybrooke Road; this was given in memory of T G Ross by his widow in 1898. He was the son of the famous T Ross, five times Mayor, a magistrate, alderman and historian. He was also for a time a director of the Pier, also of the Hastings Steam Boat Company.

HORSE TROUGHS-

At entrance to Alexandra Park, (Ordnance Survey map Sussex sheet 58.14 SE (1909) shows a trough opposite the south-east entrance to Alexandra Park.)
Given by Mrs Ross of Tudor House, St Helens Road.
Peterhead polished granite. In memory of T G Ross. (Hastings Observer 29apr1899 column 7)

- A trough was removed from its original Battle Road site, where it had been since the beginning of the century, to go to the Bourne. To be returned and replaced in Battle Road. Hastings, 1985.
- There was a horse trough by the drinking fountain just north of the Wilderness, by the junction with High Street and the Bourne.
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Information obtained (with some editing) from Hastings Public Library, researched by Anne Scott of OHPS who very kindly obtained the information upon request.
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[mdfcta]

Yes, although most troughs and fountains were funded entirely by the MDFCTA (the trough at the top of Elphinstone Road is an example), many others were funded, or part-funded, by local donors.

The trough outside the museum is an example of a structure part-funded by a philanthropist. In this case, I believe the person was a Miss Gordon of St John's Wood, London; although I've not discovered her connection, if any, with Hastings. Perhaps her father lived in the town?

The Castello fountain was funded entirely by J.Castello of Porchester Terrace, Bayswater for a total cost of £159.4.10. Although the local councils never contributed to the cost of the structures or the transport and fitting costs; they were responsible for the on-going maintenance and water supply. This made many councils reluctant to accept the structures in the first place; or to remove them at the first possible opportunity.

I’ve searched for the others, but I believe the only extant troughs in Hastings are the two I’ve mentioned above.

[John B]

The horse trough that was located in front of the wall north of the wilderness is located 62 metres north of the pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Old London Road on the east side.