Steps and fountain, Jubilee Park, Long Street, Middleton

Jubilee Park was opened in 1889 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 1906 Alderman Thomas Broadbent Wood commissioned his son, Edgar, to design a flight of steps to lead up to a contemplation spot in the park. At the top of the steps is an inscription. "Who works not for his fellows starves his soul.  His thoughts grow poor and dwindle and his heart grudges each beat, as misers do a dole."

Wood designed a fine monumental staircase leading to the church and on the axis of the tower, thus increasing its dramatic effect. At one level of the staircase he placed a fountain, consisting of a graceful pedestal and a wide, shallow bowl surmounted by a small statue. Judging from a photograph it was a charming feature popular with children. [John Archer]

Reference           Academy Architecture Volume 29 1906 page 3 - illustration