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In 1993, Victoria Square was pedestrianised and remodelled. This
included the installation of a massive water feature.
Around the
rim of the upper pool is a quotation from Burnt Norton, one of the Four
Quartets by T.S. Eliot:
And the pool was filled with water
out of sunlight, And the lotos rose, quietly, quietly,
The surface glittered out of heart of light, And they were behind
us, reflected in the pool. Then a cloud passed, and the pool
was empty.
In and around the fountain are four works by
Dhruva Mistry:
The River Sat in the upper pool, is a
monumental female figure representing the life force. The figure has
been nicknamed "The Floozie in the Jacuzzi" and weighs 1.75 tonnes. The
River is also a fountain - one of the largest in Europe - with a flow of
3,000 gallons per minute.
Youth At the bottom of the
fountain feature are 2 smaller figures representing youth, also by
Mistry.
The Guardians Two Sphinx-like animals made from
the same Darley Dale stone as the Council House. They were carved by the
carving workshop in Cambridge.
Two abstract pillars, with
lamps, complete Mistry's design. He has declined to comment on their
meaning.
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