The Potted Meat Stick

Potted Meat Stick

The Potted Meat Stick is a reminder of the Holdens, a leading Baildon family. It was given to Baildon in 1862 by Lord Justice Amphlett of Wychbold Hall, Somerset (Richard Paul Amphlett) (?Baron Amphlett of Somerset) and his wife, Mrs Amphlett, as a memorial to Mrs Amphlett's mother, Frances Ferrand. Frances was the younger daughter of William Holden.

Baildon had the choice of a gift of a carillon of bells for the church, or a drinking fountain for Towngate. A drinking fountain was chosen. For the erection of the fountain to proceed the Local Board pulled up the stocks in Towngate and sent the stone to be used to build the reservoirs on the moors.

There is reference to an agreement for the erection of a fountain in the notes from the minutes of the Baildon Local Board for 18 March 1862

Each side of the base of the fountain bears an inscription.

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The inscriptions read:-

This Fountain Was Erected And Presented To
The Inhabitants Of Baildon By Rich : Paul
Amphlett, Esq., And His Wife Frances, In
Memory Of Her Mother, 1862.

To The Memory Of Frances, Widow Of Edward
Ferrand, Esq., Of S. Ives And Daughter Of
William Holden, Esq., Of This Place.

Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst let
him come unto me and drink.
S.John, 7th 37th.

Worship him that made Heaven and Earth and the
Sea and the Fountains of Waters.
Rev., 14th 7th.

The Bradford Review of Thursday 01 January 1863 printed a very good report of the inauguration of the drinking fountain that took place on 30 December 1862; it is worth reading. A good description of the fountain is given where it mentions that at each of the four corners there was a stone column. These columns started to be used for leap-frog by children and so the columns and linking chain were removed for safety reasons. Towards the end of the report it mentions that Mr. Lofthouse said that nothing had been said as to the good quality of the water he then filled a tumbler with water, and presented it to Mr. Amphlett, which that gentleman drank amid repeating cheering.

The 1862 photo of The Potted Meat Stick (see below) has written on it This fountain was erected and presented to the inhabitants of Baildon by Rich Paul Amphlett Esq and his wife Frances

Even though the Bradford Review mentions the filling of a tumbler John La Page says there is strong evidence that the fountain never actually worked and the term potted meat stick suggests some derision. Perhaps it was felt that it was given by a foreigner. It can be seen in many Towngate photos that in the 1920s the area became a bus terminus and in 1925 the Council decided the fountain was in the way of the buses. An attempt was made to move it to the left-hand side of the moor road almost opposite the Golf House. However the fountain had become a valued part of the village, so much so that Baildoners objected to the move and by force majeure prevented the contractors from carrying out the work. The fountain became the bus terminus.

Two years later the Shipley Times and Express, of Saturday 08 October 1927, tells of public opinion stopping the Baildon Urban Council moving the Potted Meat Stick to a new location on the edge of Baildon Moor. The contractor turned up and put scaffolding around the fountain as the public were getting themselves galvanised. The report in the 'paper is very detailed and includes details of a letter from the Lord of the Manor Col. Maude. The result - the fountain stayed in Towngate.

The date of the article is two years different to the date mentioned in John La Page's book. Where there two such similar attempts? Doubtful. The images of the Shipley Times and Express clearly show the date and the report mentions that the 'paper's representative was there at the time so it is likely that there was an attempt to move the fountain in October 1927.

The fountain is a weighty structure and any vehicle hitting it would come off worse however the Towngate Stocks are not so mighty and there are several reports of vehicle damage and needy repairs. It is not surprising that the Baildon Urban Council were working on ways to make things safer. It is not clear what Baildon Local Board meant by inconvenient in their meeting of 14 Nov 1862 but even back then it was thought the village centre needed rearranging.

It was not until the 1960s that any major changes were made and this time the fountain was not so lucky. It was removed during the changes to the village centre and ended up in pieces in various Council yards. It was found, restored and put in its present position using money from Mechanics' Institute Funds in 1986. Colin S Michallat says that the late Bernard Stubbs played a part in saving the Potted Meat Stick for Baildon, Colin remembers seeing it firstly in the Council yard off Otley Road, then on a Council tip off Tong Street, then next to the one at Dock Field, only a few feet from it falling into the river.

Colin says the late Cllr Fred Atkinson was active in trying to find funds to rebuild it. During the formation of the City of Bradford Metro Council in 1974, Bradford staff were given the responsibility of working with the closing authorities to consolidate their financial records. At the time the person working with the Baildon accounts became aware of the Mechanics Institute Trust Fund and several years later, when he had accounting responsibility for Bradford Council's Direct Works Department, he became aware of the rebuild project and also that Bradford could not fund it directly. Fortunately he was also a Baildon resident and was aware of Councillor Atkinson's efforts to raise money. He was then able to bring the Mechanics Institute Trust Fund to the attention of Cllr. Atkinson and the head of the Direct Works Department so that this was then pursued as the way to fund the work. Bradford's Legal Services had to formally seek a small amendment to the Trust's deeds for the funds to be used in this way. They were successful and though Cllr Atkinson died in 1983 and the accountant moved on to the Council's Internal Audit Department in 1984 things continued to progress and The Potted Meat Stick was rebuilt in 1986.

A memorial plaque for Cllr Atkinson is hidden by the flowers surrounding the fountain.

An excellent video of the reconstruction of the fountain can be seen on YouTube here

Its location can be seen here.

Photos

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  Potted Meat Stick 1862

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  Towngate 1911

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  Towngate, Potted Meat Stick, Stocks & Cross with new top

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  Potted Meat Stick during Baildon Carnival

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  Potted Meat Stick rebuild. Late 1985 or early 1986.

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  Potted Meat Stick 2002

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  Cllr. Fred Atkinson Memorial