Anglo Saxon Landscapes at the Time of the Norman Conquest
Anglo Saxon Landscapes at the Time of the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxon way of life was drastically changed by the introduction of the Normans in the later eleventh century. At the time of the conquest, the Normans surpassed the Anglo-Saxons in building design and cultivation. However, there was no time for home life, domestic design, and decoration until the Normans had conquered the whole region. Because of this, castles were cruder structures than monasteries: Monasteries were usually important stone buildings located in the biggest and most fecund valleys, while castles were built on windy crests where their residents dedicated time and space to projects for offense and defense. The calm method of gardening was impractical in these dreary bastions. Berkeley Castle, potentially the most pristine style of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture, still exists today. It is said that the keep was introduced during William the Conqueror's time. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling underneath the walls, an immense terrace encompasses 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 shaped into coarse battlements.Bernini’s Early Italian Water Fountains
Bernini’s Early Italian Water Fountains The Barcaccia, a stunning fountain built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna, was Bernini's earliest water fountain.
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots 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 enhance your home.Pure practicality was the original role of fountains. Inhabitants of cities, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash up, which meant that fountains had to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to decorate their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were supposed to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts entered the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the main source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. The introduction of special water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains decorate public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
Ancient Crete & The Minoans: Water Features
Ancient Crete & The Minoans: Water Features