The Fountain of Helicon

Peter Cairns, an oddjobbing worker for the Duke of Buccleugh, carved the Fountain of Helicon from limewood in his spare time between 1871 & 1878. The Fountain was displayed at various international exhibitions, eventually being gifted to the Smith Museum in Stirling in 1900. It is a wonderful confection including Greek mythical scenes of Poseidon, Hercules and the Muses. After decades in storage, it needs restoration at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.