The Honeyfield Drinking Fountain, constructed in 1907, represents the philanthropy behind early urban beautification schemes and the development of New Plymouth’s celebrated waterfront promenade.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the municipal councils of New Zealand’s provincial towns generally did not have the funding for developing civic amenities beyond those immediately necessary for the physical and economic wellbeing of the residents. Instead, the task of creating attractive urban surroundings was often taken on by individual citizens, who formed Beautifying Associations and Scenery Preservation societies around the country. These groups achieved their aims through voluntary labour and fundraising efforts, which were sometimes supplemented by donations from generous benefactors.
New Plymouth’s early colonial history was rocked by the many conflicts over land, particularly in the 1860s. However, the settlement developed with more certainty during the later decades of the nineteenth century, and community-minded individuals joined together to create facilities that would improve the appearance of the town and offer recreational opportunities for the residents. The Recreation Ground (now known as Pukekura Park) was formed in 1876, the Sea Baths at Kawaroa would be open by 1904, and in 1898 the Victoria Esplanade walkway was formed along the waterfront in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Record Reign. New Plymouth residents had bemoaned the fact that the town centre’s beach had been ‘sacrificed to utilitarianism’ by the construction of the railway station in a prime spot, and the creation of the short pathway was intended to revitalise the foreshore with the vision being that the ‘marine parade’ walkway would eventually stretch all the way from the port to the Henui River.
Alice Brown Honeyfield (1843-1927) was one former resident who agreed that the town had a special asset in its waterfront, and in 1907 she donated the Honeyfield Drinking Fountain on the condition it was sited on the Esplanade in order to encourage people to use and develop the walkway. Alice (nee Cotterell) had emigrated to New Plymouth in 1881 and married widower Henry John Honeyfield three years later. However, Henry tragically committed suicide in 1898, leaving Alice a widow and the heir to his substantial fortune. Although she spent the rest of her life based in Australia while travelling extensively, she never forgot the town in which she had spent her married life and made many donations and contributions to the community, including tram shelters, memorial gates, museum showcases and a children’s paddling pool at Kawaroa. The ornamental drinking fountain and lampstand was her most prominent gift however, and bears witness to her legacy through the inscription of her name on the sea-facing elevation. The structure, made of imported marble, granite and sandstone by Christchurch monumental mason G.W.J. Parsons and installed by local stonemason William Short, was placed in a handy location to provide refreshment and lighting for those walking between the sea baths and the railway station. It was unveiled before the Mayor and a crowd of dignitaries, who thanked Mrs Honeyfield for her handsome and generous gift, although she was out of the country at the time.
By the 1970s the structure was suffering from severe weathering due to its salt-laden environment, and there were plans to move it to a less exposed location elsewhere. However the community advocated for the fountain to remain in its original position on the waterfront, in accordance with the vision of its donor. In 2006 it was temporarily dismantled and conserved, and the restored fountain was again unveiled before the Mayor and dignitaries by Alice Brown Honeyfield’s great great great great nephew in 2007, a century after the original ceremony. By this time the true vision of those behind the creation of the Victoria Esplanade had finally been fully realised, with the formation of the Coastal Walkway from the port at Ngamotu to Bell Block. The award-winning Coastal Walkway has become a much-treasured amenity for the people of New Plymouth, and is a key element in the town’s tourism marketing.
The Honeyfield Drinking Fountain, located prominently on the scenic waterfront walkway, is a direct link to those civic-minded individuals who laboured voluntarily to improve their surroundings and create a vibrant, attractive urban centre for their community. Alice Brown Honeyfield was a philanthropist who made numerous contributions to the New Plymouth townscape, and this fountain, bearing the legend of her name, was her most prominent gift. It remains a valued part of the city’s heritage landscape and has historical, aesthetic and social heritage significance.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the municipal councils of New Zealand’s provincial towns generally did not have the funding for developing civic amenities beyond those immediately necessary for the physical and economic wellbeing of the residents. Instead, the task of creating attractive urban surroundings was often taken on by individual citizens, who formed Beautifying Associations and Scenery Preservation societies around the country. These groups achieved their aims through voluntary labour and fundraising efforts, which were sometimes supplemented by donations from generous benefactors.
New Plymouth’s early colonial history was rocked by the many conflicts over land, particularly in the 1860s. However, the settlement developed with more certainty during the later decades of the nineteenth century, and community-minded individuals joined together to create facilities that would improve the appearance of the town and offer recreational opportunities for the residents. The Recreation Ground (now known as Pukekura Park) was formed in 1876, the Sea Baths at Kawaroa would be open by 1904, and in 1898 the Victoria Esplanade walkway was formed along the waterfront in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Record Reign. New Plymouth residents had bemoaned the fact that the town centre’s beach had been ‘sacrificed to utilitarianism’ by the construction of the railway station in a prime spot, and the creation of the short pathway was intended to revitalise the foreshore with the vision being that the ‘marine parade’ walkway would eventually stretch all the way from the port to the Henui River.
Alice Brown Honeyfield (1843-1927) was one former resident who agreed that the town had a special asset in its waterfront, and in 1907 she donated the Honeyfield Drinking Fountain on the condition it was sited on the Esplanade in order to encourage people to use and develop the walkway. Alice (nee Cotterell) had emigrated to New Plymouth in 1881 and married widower Henry John Honeyfield three years later. However, Henry tragically committed suicide in 1898, leaving Alice a widow and the heir to his substantial fortune. Although she spent the rest of her life based in Australia while travelling extensively, she never forgot the town in which she had spent her married life and made many donations and contributions to the community, including tram shelters, memorial gates, museum showcases and a children’s paddling pool at Kawaroa. The ornamental drinking fountain and lampstand was her most prominent gift however, and bears witness to her legacy through the inscription of her name on the sea-facing elevation. The structure, made of imported marble, granite and sandstone by Christchurch monumental mason G.W.J. Parsons and installed by local stonemason William Short, was placed in a handy location to provide refreshment and lighting for those walking between the sea baths and the railway station. It was unveiled before the Mayor and a crowd of dignitaries, who thanked Mrs Honeyfield for her handsome and generous gift, although she was out of the country at the time.
By the 1970s the structure was suffering from severe weathering due to its salt-laden environment, and there were plans to move it to a less exposed location elsewhere. However the community advocated for the fountain to remain in its original position on the waterfront, in accordance with the vision of its donor. In 2006 it was temporarily dismantled and conserved, and the restored fountain was again unveiled before the Mayor and dignitaries by Alice Brown Honeyfield’s great great great great nephew in 2007, a century after the original ceremony. By this time the true vision of those behind the creation of the Victoria Esplanade had finally been fully realised, with the formation of the Coastal Walkway from the port at Ngamotu to Bell Block. The award-winning Coastal Walkway has become a much-treasured amenity for the people of New Plymouth, and is a key element in the town’s tourism marketing.
The Honeyfield Drinking Fountain, located prominently on the scenic waterfront walkway, is a direct link to those civic-minded individuals who laboured voluntarily to improve their surroundings and create a vibrant, attractive urban centre for their community. Alice Brown Honeyfield was a philanthropist who made numerous contributions to the New Plymouth townscape, and this fountain, bearing the legend of her name, was her most prominent gift. It remains a valued part of the city’s heritage landscape and has historical, aesthetic and social heritage significance.
