Erection date: 25/9/1822
{On the main plaque:}
In grateful recollection of the goodness of God through whose favours water has been provided for this neighbourhood.
'God opened the rock and the waters gushed out, they ran in dry places like a river'. Psalm CV v41.
'He turneth dry ground into water springs'. Psalm CVII v35.
'Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord'. Psalm CL v6.
'A fountain shall water the valley. Joel III v18.
Erected to commemorate relief of a serious drought.
{On the small plaque:}
25 September 1822.
The inscription is badly deteriorated, so we have copied the inscription from the Historic England website.
Site: Mitcham - drought relief obelisk (1 memorial)
CR4, Madeira Road, Cricket Green
From Merton Memories we learn that Reverend Richard Cranmer erected this obelisk at the corner of the Canons House grounds to commemorate the appearance of a spring and the subsequent sinking of an artesian well, at a time when low rainfall caused many shallow wells to dry up and resulted in a shortage of clean fresh water. Embarrassingly, shortly after the obelisk was erected the artesian well dried up.
Faded London has more information.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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