To be drunk up

cathedral in St Nicholas’ Square but, to accommodate a new statue of recently deceased Queen Victoria, it was moved to the Bigg Market next to where the former underground public toilets are situated in 1901.

The ornate water fountain is an octagonal red sandstone construction with pink granite basin. It bears the inscriptions “JHR” and “Water Is Best” on shields in its panels.

Dr Rutherford was a prominent advocate of temperance, the Victorian movement that campaigned against alcohol consumption and argued for abstinence.

He might well have turned in his grave – he was buried in Elswick Cemetery – had he known a monument in his name would end up in the heart of a Newcastle location famous for its pubs and often raucous nightlife.

Over the years, it fell into disrepair and, in 1996, the council removed it for conservation as part of its refurbishment plans for the Bigg Market.

In 1998, it was cleaned and installed further up the Bigg Market at its present location with the financial support of Northumbrian Water. It no longer provides water, but is now a grade II-listed monument.