Thomas Thompson Fountain

The Thomas Thompson Fountain features an ornate cast iron structure topped by a small dome, rising prominently in the center of Shaftesbury Square. Built in eighteen eighty-five, it commemorates a local man who left a massive endowment to improve the city’s water supply. Thomas Thompson died without heirs, and his fortune helped fund clean water infrastructure across Belfast. The fountain served as a functional public tap for residents long before it became a neighborhood landmark for people passing through the busy square.