Calcutta, Nov. 20 :    Calcutta, Nov. 20:  Its old-world charm has, over the years, caught the eye of those walking down East Esplanade Row. It has found pride of place in an artist's sketch-book and fondly christened .forgotten fountain.. Today, after decades of neglect, this beautiful piece of Victorian structure in Calcutta has won back its looks and is even set to get back into the flow of things. Till even a few months ago, those passing by the high court would have scarcely believed that beyond the foliage stood the forgotten fountain, captured by writer-artist Desmond Doig in one of his sketches of old Calcutta. Manish Chakraborty, architect and conservator, had written to former PWD minister Kshiti Goswami in October 1999, highlighting the plight of the .forgotten and vanishing fountain.. Some eight months ago, the PWD started restoration work on the monument. The foliage was cleared and the concrete pillar blocking the view of the fountain façade substituted with iron rods. . New waterpipes have been fitted and the fountain will soon have water flowing again,. said S.R. Banerjee, chief engineer,PWD. The fountain, according to Doig, was erected in memory of William Frase McDonnell, vice-chancellor of the Bengal Civil Service from 1850 to 1886. Going by the inscription on the stone, which has now faded, McDonnell was awarded for bravery in Shahabad district. The lion's head carved in front of the monument with a drinking bowl below it is the most ornate element of the fountain. Gangadhar Rao, an octogenarian who owns a teastall nearby, recounts the gurgling of the water flowing out of the lion's mouth and falling into the bowl below. .The horses would gather here for a drink from the stone trough that used to be here. Now, it lies in front of the Town Hall and nobody seems to know that its original place was in front of the fountain,. he says. A fencing of iron rods and concrete pillars was erected by the PWD years ago to protect the structure. But one of the concrete pillars was placed right in front of the lion's head and the fountain was forgotten. As Doig wrote: .Someone with that good civic lack of taste that plagues Calcutta has had a monster iron-and-concrete fence erected within inches of the fountain. Only dismantling the fountain would have done more to hide it from view.. That's what has now been done to revive the fountain and restore a slice of history.