page_title: John Mackintosh Square
section_title: Fountains
hierarchical_section_title: John Mackintosh Square / History / Fountains
caption_attribution_description: English: Construction of an air raid shelter under John Mackintosh Square (then known as Commercial Square) in Gibraltar.
context_page_description: John Mackintosh Square is a main square in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It has been the centre of city life since the 14th century and takes its name from John Mackintosh, a local philanthropist. Notable buildings on John Mackintosh Square include the Parliament Building and the City Hall.
context_section_description: In 1571, an aqueduct was built to channel drinking water from the Red Sands in the south district to the city. A fountain at the northwest corner of the square (the steps now called Fountain Ramp, known in Spanish as Callejón de la Fuente, to the north of where the City Hall is today) was supplied by this aqueduct. Although the aqueduct fell into disuse some years later, with the fountain drying up, the fountain head was refurbished in 1694. It was moved to Castle Street in 1887 and remained there until the 1960s. It was eventually re-erected on the Line Wall against Zoca Flank some 20 metres (66 ft) to the northwest of its original location  (four lion-headed vents were carved in the low part of the fountain, representing war, pestilence, death and peace).
  In 1869, a new fountain was erected by the Sanitary Commission, fed from wells in the isthmus that links The Rock with Spain to supply drinking water. It was inaugurated on 8 December by Lady Airey, wife of Governor Sir Richard Airey. However, the "Airey Fountain" became dry very soon and was replaced in 1879 by an ornamental fountain constructed to commemorate the stay of The 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn — third son of Queen Victoria — in Gibraltar. It was dismantled during the Second World War.
caption: The construction of an air-raid shelter beneath John Mackintosh Square (then known as Commercial Square) in 1939 (looking west).
exif: {}