The Impact of the Norman Invasion on Anglo Saxon Landscaping

The Impact of the Norman Invasion on Anglo Saxon Landscaping Impact Norman Invasion Anglo Saxon Landscaping 171786284653141804.jpg

The advent of the Normans in the latter half of the 11th century greatly altered The Anglo-Saxon ways of living. At the time of the conquest, the Normans surpassed the Anglo-Saxons in building design and cultivation. However the Normans had to pacify the entire territory before they could concentrate on home life, domestic architecture, and decoration. Monasteries and castles served separate purposes, so while monasteries were enormous stone structures constructed in only the most productive, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the residents focused on learning offensive and defensive practices. Gardening, a quiet occupation, was unfeasible in these unproductive fortifications. The early Anglo-Norman style of architecture is symbolized in Berkeley Castle, which is conceivably the most unscathed example we have. It is said that the keep was developed during William the Conqueror's time. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling beneath the walls, an immense terrace surrounds the building. On one of these terraces lies a charming bowling green: it's coated in grass and flanked by an old yew hedge that is formed into the shape of rough ramparts.

Bernini’s Early Italian Fountains

Bernini’s Early Italian Fountains One can see Bernini's very first masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is flooded with Roman locals and tourists alike who enjoy debate and each other's company. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that surrounding his amazing water fountain. The master's first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the request of Pope Urbano VIII. Depicted in the fountain's design is a large vessel gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. According to 16th century reports, a great flood of the Tevere covered the entire area in water, an event which was commemorated by the magnificent fountain. In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his only extended absence from Italy.