Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Originate from?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Originate from? A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also launch water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to provide them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. 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 location 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 ornamental. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
The Influence of the Norman Invasion on Anglo-Saxon Gardens
The Influence of the Norman Invasion on Anglo-Saxon Gardens The arrival of the Normans in the second half of the 11th century considerably modified The Anglo-Saxon ways of living. The Normans were much better than the Anglo-Saxons at architecture and horticulture when they came into power. But there was no time for home life, domesticated design, and adornment until the Normans had conquered the whole region. Castles were more basic designs and often constructed on blustery hills, where their tenants spent both time and space to exercising offense and defense, while monasteries were major stone buildings, mostly situated in the widest, most fertile hollows. The tranquil method of gardening was unrealistic in these dreary bastions. Berkeley Castle is perhaps the most intact model in existence today of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture. It is said that the keep was introduced during William the Conqueror's time. A monumental terrace serves as a hindrance to invaders who would try to mine the walls of the building.
A Chronicle of Outdoor Fountains
