Where did Fountains Begin?
Where did Fountains Begin? The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complement your home.Pure practicality was the original purpose of fountains. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water.
Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. To show his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains made to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
The Impact of the Norman Invasion on Anglo Saxon Gardens
The Impact of the Norman Invasion on Anglo Saxon Gardens The arrival of the Normans in the latter half of the 11th century substantially transformed The Anglo-Saxon ways of living. The Normans were much better than the Anglo-Saxons at architecture and horticulture when they came into power. But the Normans had to pacify the whole territory before they could concentrate on home life, domestic architecture, and decoration. Because of this, castles were cruder structures than monasteries: Monasteries were often important stone buildings set in the biggest and most fecund valleys, while castles were constructed on windy crests where their citizens dedicated time and space to tasks for offense and defense. The serene practice of gardening was impractical in these dreary bastions. The best specimen of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent today is Berkeley Castle. The keep is said to date from the time of William the Conqueror.
An enormous terrace encompasses the building, serving as an obstruction to attackers intending to excavate under the castle walls. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an old yew hedge trimmed into the shape of crude battlements.
The Circulation of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe
The Circulation of Water Fountain Industrial Knowledge in Europe The published documents and illustrated publications of the day contributed to the development of scientific innovation, and were the chief methods of dissiminating practical hydraulic concepts and water feature suggestions throughout Europe. An unnamed French water feature designer came to be an internationally celebrated hydraulic leader in the late 1500's.
His know-how in making gardens and grottoes with built-in and brilliant water attributes began in Italy and with mandates in Brussels, London and Germany. The book, “The Principles of Moving Forces,” authored towards the end of his lifetime in France, turned out to be the fundamental text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Classical antiquity hydraulic developments were outlined as well as changes to key classical antiquity hydraulic discoveries in the book. As a mechanical way to shift water, Archimedes devised the water screw, key among crucial hydraulic advancements. Sunlight heating water in a couple of vessels unseen in a room next to an ornamental water fountain was displayed in one illustration. Activating the fountain is heated liquid that expands and rises to seal up the pipes. Designs for pumps, water wheels, water features and outdoor ponds are also mentioned in the publication.