Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest
Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest
The arrival of the Normans in the second half of the 11th century irreparably improved The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle. Engineering and horticulture were skills that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. But yet there was no time for home life, domestic architecture, and adornment until the Normans had overcome the whole region. Castles were more basic constructions and often erected on blustery hills, where their people spent both time and space to practicing offense and defense, while monasteries were major stone buildings, commonly located in the widest, most fertile hollows. Tranquil activities such as gardening were out of place in these destitute citadels. The finest specimen of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent in modern times is Berkeley Castle. The keep is thought to date from the time of William the Conqueror. A spacious terrace recommended for exercising and as a means to stop attackers from mining under the walls runs about the building. On one of these parapets is a picturesque bowling green covered in grass and bordered by an aged hedge of yew that has been designed into coarse battlements.
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains The incredible construction 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.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. 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 flow downwards or jet high into the air. Artists thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the designer responsible for creating it.
Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.