Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest
Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxon way of life was considerably changed by the arrival of the Normans in the later eleventh century. The talent of the Normans surpassed the Anglo-Saxons' in design and farming at the time of the conquest. But before centering on home-life or having the occasion to think about domestic architecture or decoration, the Normans had to subjugate an entire society. Because of this, castles were cruder structures than monasteries: Monasteries were often immense stone buildings set in the biggest and most fecund valleys, while castles were erected on windy crests where their inhabitants devoted time and space to projects for offense and defense.
Peaceful pursuits such as gardening were out of place in these destitute citadels. Berkeley Castle is possibly the most intact model in existence at present of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture. The keep is said to date from William the Conqueror's time. As a technique of deterring attackers from tunneling underneath the walls, an immense terrace encompasses the building. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an aged yew hedge cut into the figure of crude battlements.
The Origins Of Garden Fountains
The Origins Of Garden Fountains A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.
The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. 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 more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow down or shoot high into the air. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains. To depict the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
Modern fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.