Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings The dramatic or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as delivering drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.
Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with potable 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. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were frequently seen on Roman fountains. To depict the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm 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 decorative. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity allowed fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational events.
The Wide Array of Exterior Fountains

The beauty of a spouting fountain can be observed when it propels a stream of shooting water into the air. If your pond is sufficiently large, it can be incorporated without difficulty. These sorts of fountains are often found in parks or historical stately homes.
Outdoor water features come in a variety of shapes and sizes, one of which is a fancy wall fountain. These types of fountains make great water features even if you only have a little garden. Wall fountains are not flashy water features when compared with a spouting fountain. It is simple process wherein a small jet of water pours outwards in front of a splendidly textured wall and then flows down only to be pumped up again.
Your garden’s style dictates whether a themed fountain is right for you. In a rustic themed cottage or garden, a classical styled statue for your fountain could include cherubs holding the spout. Consider including something bolder and unique for a contemporary garden. Just permit your imagination to run loose.
Tiered fountains are unique because the water runs down multiple levels. Cascading fountains is another term used to identify this type of fountain because water moves down multiple levels.
Since external fountains occupy a great deal of space, consider putting in a wall fountain or a pondless fountain. The reservoirs needed for these kinds of water features are hidden underground which helps you better use your limited space.
If you seek a feeling of peacefulness and calmness, put in a Japanese fountain as these are considered to bring about such sensations. In this type of water feature the water passes through bamboo sticks. A rustic bucket or shaped stone is positioned at the bottom of this feature to collect the flowing water only to have the cycle repeated over and over again.
Glass fountains make up an additional category of fountain. A more traditional look is provided by trellis-style fountains which showcase shaped metalwork. Gardens with many sharp edges as well as contemporary forms and designs are better for these types of water features. A wondrous effect is created when water runs down the sheets of glass. Colored LED lights are also included in some fountains to illuminate the water as it progresses down the sheet of glass. A rock waterfall fountain (often made of imitation rock) showcases water softly cascading down its façade.
The attribute which differentiates a bubbling rock fountain is a large rock drilled with holes where pipes can be inserted into its middle. In this kind of fountain, water is pushed upwards at low pressure to cause it to bubble and gurgle at the top. The water returns gently dripping down the sides of the rock to reach its starting point. This type of fountain is ideally suited for little gardens. This sort of fountain, which uses low pressure to move water, is suitable because it stops water from being sprayed around in breezy weather.
Powered by sunlight, solar fountains are becoming rapidly trendy. The advantages of using this type of solar powered fountain is the lack of cables, lowered difficulty in installing them, the decrease in electricity bills, and the favorable effects they have on our environment. The wide-ranging designs in outdoor solar-powered fountains means you will not have to compromise on style.
Outdoor Fountains: The Minoan Civilization
Outdoor Fountains: The Minoan Civilization During archaeological excavations on the island of Crete, various varieties of conduits have been discovered. They not merely helped with the water supplies, they removed rainwater and wastewater as well. The principle ingredients used were rock or clay. Whenever terracotta was made use of, it was frequently for canals as well as water pipes which came in rectangle-shaped or round patterns.
Early Water Delivery Techniques in The City Of Rome
Early Water Delivery Techniques in The City Of Rome With the building of the first elevated aqueduct in Rome, the Aqua Anio Vetus in 273 BC, folks who lived on the city’s hills no longer had to rely entirely on naturally-occurring spring water for their requirements. If citizens living at higher elevations did not have access to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to count on the other existing technologies of the time, cisterns that accumulated rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that received the water from under ground. In the early 16th century, the city began to use the water that flowed underground through Acqua Vergine to deliver water to Pincian Hill. The aqueduct’s channel was made reachable by pozzi, or manholes, that were added along its length when it was initially designed.