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Ross Fountain

A French cast-iron fountain of mermaids and cherubs, given to the city by a gunmaker and opened in 1872 beneath the castle rock.

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Down in West Princes Street Gardens, with the castle rock rising almost straight above it, the Ross Fountain is painted teal and picked out in gold, and on a sunny day it glitters against the dark crag behind.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Tier upon tier of cast-iron figures rise from a wide basin, water spilling from lion-headed spouts, and at the top a draped woman stands holding a torch aloft.

There is a bench facing it for anyone who wants to sit and look. Come back in a hard frost and it is transformed: the water freezes as it falls, icicles hang from every figure, and the whole fountain turns white beneath the castle.

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Before you go

The fountain stands in West Princes Street Gardens, a public park, free and open to walk through.

Where
West Princes Street Gardens, below the castle rock.

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Did you know

The Ross Fountain's teal-and-gold tiers catch the light before Edinburgh Castle.
Did you know

Seen at the Great Exhibition.

Daniel Ross, an Edinburgh gunmaker, saw the fountain at the Great Exhibition in London in 1862, and in 1869 bought a larger version as a gift to the city.

Icicles hang from the Ross Fountain's statues and tiers beneath Edinburgh Castle.
Did you know

In 122 pieces.

It came from the Durenne ironworks in France in 122 pieces, shipped to Leith and carted up to the gardens to be put together.

A couple sit on a bench facing the Ross Fountain, Edinburgh Castle rising behind.
Did you know

He never saw it run.

The fountain was finished and opened in 1872. Its giver had died the year before.

Ice-draped figures crown the Ross Fountain's upper tiers against a pale sky.
Did you know

Iron, not bronze.

Durenne claimed their cast iron was as fine as any bronze, and much cheaper to make.

The frost-covered Ross Fountain stands before Edinburgh Castle on its rocky crag.
Did you know

A Paris designer.

Its designer, Jean-Baptiste Klagmann, also made statues for fountains at the Louvre and in the Luxembourg Garden in Paris.

The Ross Fountain plays before Edinburgh Castle on its rocky crag.
Did you know

Running again.

The fountain ran dry in 2010. A restoration begun in 2017 by Edinburgh World Heritage, the Ross Development Trust and the council got the water flowing again.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Purchased at London’s 1862 Great Exhibition by an Edinburgh gunmaker named Daniel Ross, this 19th-century cast-iron fountain now provides a highly decorative focal point in Princes Street Gardens.

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Snow dusts the ground around the Ross Fountain beneath Edinburgh Castle's crag.
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Where it is

In West Princes Street Gardens, beneath the castle rock.

Close byThe places nearest the fountain, in Princes Street Gardens.
  1. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleA royal castle on its rock above the gardens, home of the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.Under a mile 4 min by road
  2. Edinburgh Castle Dog CemeteryEdinburgh Castle Dog CemeteryA small walled garden inside the castle where soldiers' dogs are buried.Under a mile 4 min by road
  3. Mons MegMons MegA six-tonne siege gun of 1457 on the castle battlements.Under a mile 4 min by road
  4. Wojtek the Soldier Bear MemorialWojtek the Soldier Bear MemorialA bronze of a Polish soldier and his bear, in memory of Poland's soldiers in the Second World War.2 miles 6 min by road
  5. BABABABAA Mediterranean restaurant on George Street.2 miles 7 min by road
  6. The Gardener's LodgeThe Gardener's LodgeThe old head gardener's cottage in Princes Street Gardens.2 miles 7 min by road
Directions
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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the fountain, and when each is next free.

West End Muse
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  • Under a mile from the Ross Fountain
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Ross Fountain
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
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  • Under a mile from the Ross Fountain
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
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  • 2 miles from the Ross Fountain
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Edinburgh.

From the magazineNew Town Walking TourFrom the magazineThe Nooks & Crannies of EdinburghCollectionUnusual and Interesting things to do in EdinburghCollectionThings to Do in Edinburgh on a Shoestring
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .