Diana fountain reopens
2005-05-06 22:16
London - There's no more paddling, and a team of wardens in red waterproof jackets will keep the public in check.
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in London's Hyde Park reopened on Friday after a four-month refit with stricter rules and improved drainage and footpaths that should finally put an end to its problems, park officials said.
The low-key event witnessed by about 30 people - mostly journalists and park officials - contrasted with the grand opening in July last year attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Diana's sons William and Harry. No royals were present on this occasion.
A team of 14 new wardens, who will monitor the fountain and its visitors in shifts, will wear bright red waterproof jackets so they are easily recognisable. They replace the former security guards and are intended to be more visitor-friendly.
"We're the new breed of custodians," said warden Peter Scott, 44. "We've got two roles - maintenance and cleaning, and to ensure that the memorial can be enjoyed by everybody.
"We have to make people aware of our regulations: There's no rollerblading, no dogs allowed in the area. We don't mind people having a picnic but there's no glass allowed.
"There's no ball games and definitely no paddling. But we will allow people to sit on the edge and put their feet in."
At first, visitors were allowed to paddle in the shallow waters of the fountain, an oval roughly 80m by 50m. Water flows from the highest point down both sides into the Tranquil Pool.
Upgraded at huge costs
But within days of the official opening, three people, including a child, slipped and injured themselves on the fountain's slick base of Cornish granite.
It was closed for repair work and reopened with a roughened granite surface for more traction, guards, a security fence and cameras and signs warning against walking or running in the water.
There have also been problems with pumps and drainage: visitors last year turned the waterlogged ground around the fountain into a quagmire.
Park officials said the site now has new, hard-wearing turf and a tough gravel path around the edge and through the middle of the fountain.
No cost has been given for the renovations, but park officials say the total is expected to be more than £200 000.
A spokesperson for Royal Parks said last summer about 5 000 people an hour visited the £3.6m fountain, designed by American architect Kathryn Gustafson to be a "tranquil, peaceful and calm" memorial to Diana. The princess died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
- AP