image copyright Rachel Windsor

The monument in Steadfastgate on the Water of Leith originated in the centre of Edinburgh where it began life as a fountain gifted to the city by Catherine Sinclair, a 19th century philanthropist, in 1859.  It had stood on the junction of Lothian Road and Prince’s Street for only 14 years when the Council requested that it be removed since it was causing a traffic obstruction.  Public feeling was such that it was not removed until 1932, and then hastily, and taken to Bonnington where it lay in pieces until being reused here in 1983.  Only a section of the original fountain remains, about one fifth of its original height.  The remaining section, almost triangular in plan, bears an inscription above the arches on each side; Drink and be thankful, A blessing to the Giver, and Water is not for man alone.