The Public Water Fountains

The Public Water Fountains Towns and communities relied on working water fountains to channel water for preparing food, washing, and cleaning up from nearby sources like ponds, streams, or creeks. Public Water Fountains 024664103.jpg

In the days before electrical power, the spray of fountains was powered by gravity only, often using an aqueduct or water resource located far away in the nearby hills. Inspirational and spectacular, large water fountains have been built as monuments in many societies. The common fountains of today bear little resemblance to the first water fountains. The very first accepted water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial purposes. Rock basins as fountains have been recovered from 2000 BC. The earliest civilizations that utilized fountains depended on gravity to force water through spigots. Situated near aqueducts or creeks, the practical public water fountains furnished the local population with fresh drinking water. Fountains with ornate decoration started to show up in Rome in approximately 6 B.C., commonly gods and wildlife, made with stone or copper-base alloy. The extraordinary aqueducts of Rome provided water to the spectacular public fountains, many of which you can visit today.

The First Modern Wall Fountains

The First Modern Wall Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, governed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek documents into Latin. Beautifying Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the heart of his objectives. At the bidding of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a ruined aqueduct which had transported clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was restored starting in 1453. First Modern Wall Fountains 798852392067.jpg

First Modern Wall Fountains 798852392067.jpg

A mostra, a monumental celebratory fountain built by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a tradition which was revived by Nicholas V. The present-day site of the Trevi Fountain was once occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and built by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The Trevi Fountain as well as the well-known baroque fountains found in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the altered aqueduct he had reconstructed.

The Results of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Gardens

The Results of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Gardens The Anglo-Saxon way of life was significantly changed by the appearance 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. But there was no time for home life, domestic design, and adornment until the Normans had overcome the whole region. Results Norman Conquest Anglo Saxon Gardens 32852282037854869.jpg

Results Norman Conquest Anglo Saxon Gardens 32852282037854869.jpg

Monasteries and castles served different functions, so while monasteries were massive stone structures assembled in only the most fruitful, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the occupants focused on understanding offensive and defensive techniques. The calm method of gardening was unrealistic in these bleak bastions. The early Anglo-Norman style of architecture is represented in Berkeley Castle, which is most likely the most unscathed sample we have. It is said that the keep was introduced during William the Conqueror's time. An enormous terrace encompasses the building, serving as an obstacle to attackers attempting to excavate under the castle walls. On one of these parapets is a scenic bowling green covered in grass and enclosed by an aged hedge of yew that has been designed into coarse battlements.