Anglo-Saxon Grounds at the Time of the Norman Conquest

Anglo-Saxon Grounds at the Time of the Norman Conquest The arrival of the Normans in the 2nd half of the 11th century irreparably improved The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle. At the time of the conquest, the Normans surpassed the Anglo-Saxons in building design and cultivation. Anglo-Saxon Grounds Time Norman Conquest 6042488922373210909.jpg

Anglo-Saxon Grounds Time Norman Conquest 6042488922373210909.jpg

But nevertheless home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the general populace. Because of this, castles were cruder buildings than monasteries: Monasteries were usually immense stone buildings located in the biggest and most fecund valleys, while castles were constructed on windy crests where their inhabitants devoted time and space to projects for offense and defense. The sterile fortresses did not provide for the quiet avocation of gardening. The early Anglo-Norman style of architecture is depicted in Berkeley Castle, which is conceivably the most untouched sample we have. It is said that the keep was introduced during William the Conqueror's time. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling within the walls, an immense terrace encompasses the building. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an old yew hedge cut into the form of crude battlements.

A Concise History of Early Outdoor Public Fountains

A Concise History of Early Outdoor Public Fountains Villages and communities depended on practical water fountains to conduct water for cooking, bathing, and cleaning from nearby sources like ponds, streams, or springs. To produce water flow through a fountain until the end of the 1800’s, and create a jet of water, required the force of gravity and a water source such as a spring or lake, located higher than the fountain. Commonly used as memorials and commemorative edifices, water fountains have inspired travelers from all over the globe all through the centuries. When you see a fountain nowadays, that is certainly not what the 1st water fountains looked like. Created for drinking water and ceremonial reasons, the very first fountains were very simple carved stone basins. Natural stone basins are thought to have been 1st used around 2000 BC. Concise History Early Outdoor Public Fountains 7885254885778.jpg

Concise History Early Outdoor Public Fountains 7885254885778.jpg

Early fountains used in ancient civilizations relied on gravity to regulate the movement of water through the fountain. Situated near aqueducts or creeks, the practical public water fountains supplied the local citizens with fresh drinking water. The Romans began creating ornate fountains in 6 BC, most of which were bronze or natural stone masks of creatures and mythological representations. A well-designed system of reservoirs and aqueducts kept Rome's public fountains supplied with fresh water.

The Origins of Modern Wall Fountains

The Origins of Modern Wall Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek texts into Latin. It was imperative for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being called the capital of the Christian world. Restoration of the Acqua Vergine, a ruined Roman aqueduct which had transported clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, began in 1453 at the bidding of the Pope. A mostra, a monumental celebratory fountain constructed by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a practice which was restored by Nicholas V. At the bidding of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The water which eventually provided the Trevi Fountain as well as the renown baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.