The historic Wignacourt fountain at St Philip Garden in Floriana, originally located on Palace Square, Valletta, was the first fountain erected after the building of the Wignacourt aqueduct; it was inaugurated during Eastertide, on April 21, 1615.
It features a large circular basin with three superimposed seashells like shaped basins, each one smaller than the one below it, supported on a cone-shaped pedestal with three dolphins with upturned tails. This beautiful and historic fountain was moved by the British military to St Philip Gardens so the Palace Square could be used for military parades.
Regrettably, while Mepa scheduled the Wignacourt fountain as a Grade 1 national monument in 2008, it has been neglected and left in a pitiful state, to be gradually destroy-ed by corrosion.
Restoration works are urgently needed to save this beautiful and historic gem from further damage.