19th Century London drinking fountain in honour of Jewish philanthropist restored

An historic fountain in London’s East End built to honour a Jewish philanthropist has been unveiled by a senior rabbi after being restored.

The Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) saved the neglected and broken 138-year-old fountain dedicated to Leonard Montefiore, a passionate supporter of women’s emancipation in Victorian England.

The newly renovated fountain was unveiled on Sunday by Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE who cut the ribbon before talks on the history of it were given by Prof Michael Berkowitz and Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein over bagels and pastries from Rinkoff’s bakery.

As well as providing free fresh drinking water to the local community of Stepney Green in Tower Hamlets, HOLT said young people from East London will visit to learn about the Jewish history of the area, as part of its Proud Places programme.

“It is believed to be Leonard Montefiore’s only memorial and an important reminder of the Jewish history of the East End,” it said.

Montefiore was born in 1853 and died young, aged 26, of rheumatic fever. He was a nephew of the famous financier Sir Moses Montefiore, and his friends included playwright Oscar Wilde and historian Arnold Toynbee.

During his short life, Leonard Montefiore was Secretary of the Society for the Extension of University Teaching in Tower Hamlets, a member of the Jewish Board of Guardians, and a fierce and vocal advocate of women’s suffrage.

The drinking fountain was erected in his memory in 1884, five years after his death. The Jewish East End Celebration Society said it was “delighted that such an important monument is being saved”.