Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest
Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest The Anglo-Saxon way of life was significantly changed by the appearance of the Normans in the later eleventh century. The Normans were better than the Anglo-Saxons at architecture and horticulture when they came into power. But home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the entire population. Monasteries and castles served different functions, so while monasteries were large stone structures built in only the most fruitful, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the occupants focused on understanding offensive and defensive strategies. The sterile fortresses did not provide for the quiet avocation of gardening. The early Anglo-Norman style of architecture is depicted in Berkeley Castle, which is conceivably the most unscathed example we have. The keep is said to date from William the Conqueror's time period. A significant terrace serves as a deterrent to invaders who would attempt to mine the walls of the building.
On one of these parapets is a scenic bowling green covered in grass and bordered by an aged hedge of yew that has been shaped into coarse battlements.
Modern Garden Decoration: Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decoration: Fountains and their Beginnings 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.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. 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 needed 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 flow downwards or jet high into the air. Artists thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the designer responsible for building it. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller variations of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in 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. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to deliver recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Contemporary fountains are used to embellish community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.
Water-lifting Tool by Camillo Agrippa
Water-lifting Tool by Camillo Agrippa In 1588, Agrippa’s water-lifting discovery attracted the attention and admiration of Andrea Bacci but that turned out to be one of the last mentions of the gadget. It could be that in 1592 when Rome’s most recent aqueduct, the Acqua Felice, began providing the Villa Medici, there was simply no longer a great deal need for the system.
The more likely explanation is that the system was discontinued when Franceso di Medici, Ferdinando’s siblingexpired in 1588, leading him to give up his role as cardinal and go back to Florence where he accepted the throne as the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It could defy the force of gravity to lift water to Renaissance gardens, feeding them in a way other late 16th century concepts which include scenographic water presentations, musical fountains and giochi d’acqua or water caprices, were not.