A WELL-known Bristol landmark has been given a new lease of life, thanks to the efforts of local residents.

The Victorian water fountain in St George at the fork of Clouds Hill Road to Kingswood and Summerhill Road to Hanham had fallen into disrepair and neglected for many years.

But a group of residents led by retired engineer Richard Curtis have managed to get the Grade II-listed landmark restored.

Mr Curtis, chairman of the Church Road Action Group, said: "Our aim is to try to improve the street to encourage people to use the local shops.

"We felt as a group that one of the things we could do was to get the water fountain restored.

"It's making a statement that people in St George do care about the community."

He said they approached the St George Neighbourhood Partnership which agreed to make a £2,500 grant available for the work.

A local firm, Summers Memorials which is based in Church Road, was awarded the contract to carry out the restoration.

They cleaned the stonework and replaced broken stones which had fallen away from the landmark.

They also cleaned the granite inlays and repainted the lettering on the plaque.

Tim Boodrie, a manager at the firm, said: "It looked very tired and weathered due to the high volume of traffic which passes here every day. It was an unusual job for us but one that we have been very pleased to do."

Mr Curtis, 65, said: I was approached by a member of the public who felt the condition of the fountain was very poor and something needed to be done.

"It looked grey and horrible and just seemed to be a symptom of this area being allowed to let go.

"I think it looks fantastic with the work that has been done. Everyone is very pleased."

Councillor Ron Stone (Lab, St George West) said: "The area has recently suffered from a lot of infill development and therefore we have lost a lot of well-known landmarks.

"The water fountain is commonly used to help people with directions to either Kingswood or Hanham but due to its location, it has suffered from pollution because of all the heavy traffic.

"I am pleased that we have assisted, through the Neighbourhood Partnership, to maintain this landmark which is so much a part of St George's history."

The water fountain and horse trough was presented to the parish in 1890 by Victorian businessman William Butler who was in charge of a tar works in nearby Crew's Hole.

He was keen to establish local government in St George and became chairman of the Local Government Board in St George, a post which he held for 14 years until 1889.

Mr Butler, who was also a magistrate and member of Gloucestershire County Council, presented the water fountain to mark his achievement in holding the post for this period.

He was also the first chairman of the Bristol Tramway Company.

Mr Butler, who worked for Brunel as an engineer on the Bristol and Exeter railway line, was asked to take charge of the tar works because it was needed in the supply of creosote which was used to preserve the wooden sleepers on the new railways.

The distilled coal tar was also used for lamp black and pitch, a product which was mixed with small coal to make briquettes, and with gravel to make tarmacadam, named after Bristol road engineer John Loudon Macadam.

During the 1960s the replacement of the old town gas, by both gas produced from petroleum and North Sea gas, led to the demise of coal-based gasworks and resulted in a large reduction in the availability of crude tar.

The location of the water fountain marks the ancient entrance to the old Royal Forest of Kingswood which stretched behind Bristol Castle to St George and Kingswood.