Drinking Fountain and Horse Trough, Mitcham, Greater London
This drinking fountain and horse or cattle trough stands on Cricket Green. It dates from the late 19th century. The inscription on the road side reads; "Metropolitan drinking fountain cattle trough association". There is also a dog trough below. The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association was founded in 1859 because of the poor supply of clean drinking water for people. In 1867 the title was changed to include 'and Cattle Trough'. This was because many animals were walked for several days to reach the markets of London and there were not enough places for them to get fresh water to drink. It was also recognised that horses, the city's main form of transport, needed better access to fresh water. By 1885 over 50,000 horses were drinking daily from the Association’s troughs in London.
