AN ornate 19th Century fountain was today due to be "fired up" for the first time in almost 70 years after a £700,000 English Heritage restoration project.

The Perseus and Andromeda fountain, the centrepiece of a 54-metre pool at Witley Court, near Worcester, last operated before a fire at the mansion in the 1930s.

The 20-tonne sculpted stone water feature, once coveted by Hollywood legend Bing Crosby, has undergone a year-long restoration.

It has 120 separate jets, the main one reaching up to 90ft.

Expert stonemasons have carefully re-carved the Perseus and Andromeda figures, which date back to 1853.