New Plymouth South African War memorial fountain

New Plymouth South African War memorial, now reinstated at its original location on Marsland Hill.

The memorial in its earlier location in central New Plymouth.

This memorial fountain is today back on its original site. The central column was moved from Marsland Hill to the newly-developed Devon Mall in 1979 and restored to operate as a fountain. At the time Marsland Hill was becoming something of a backwater in the city and it was thought that it would have an appropriately higher profile in the mall. The base pool (now a flowerbed) remained on Marsland Hill and the central section was returned to it when the Devon Mall was demolished and re-opened to traffic in c1997.

The memorial was unveiled on 26 January 1911 by the Governor, Lord Islington. A number of local veterans from the South African War were in attendance. See report of the unveiling in the Taranaki Herald (pdf).