A Short History of the First Water Fountains
A Short History of the First Water Fountains As originally developed, water fountains were crafted to be practical, guiding water from creeks or reservoirs to the residents of towns and villages, where the water could be used for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. To generate water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and produce a jet of water, mandated gravity and a water source such as a creek or lake, positioned higher than the fountain. Striking and impressive, big water fountains have been constructed as monuments in nearly all cultures. The common fountains of today bear little similarity to the very first water fountains. Uncomplicated stone basins crafted from nearby material were the very first fountains, used for spiritual functions and drinking water. Natural stone basins are theorized to have been first used around the year 2000 BC. The force of gravity was the power source that operated the initial water fountains. Located near reservoirs or creeks, the functional public water fountains furnished the local population with fresh drinking water. Fountains with ornamental Gods, mythological monsters, and animals began to appear in Rome in about 6 B.C., crafted from stone and bronze. Water for the communal fountains of Rome was brought to the city via a complex system of water aqueducts.Modern Garden Decor: Garden Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: Garden Fountains and their Beginnings The dramatic or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as supplying drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose.
People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs nearby. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a source of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Fountains were an optimal source of water, and also served to decorate living areas and memorialize the artist. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create smaller depictions of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a considerable role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured 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 standard 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 decorative. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Beautifying city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the functions of modern-day fountains.
The Results of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Landscaping
The Results of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Landscaping Anglo-Saxons encountered incredible changes to their daily lives in the latter half of the eleventh century due to the accession of the Normans. Engineering and gardening were skills that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. But before centering on home-life or having the occasion to consider domestic architecture or decoration, the Normans had to subjugate an entire society.
Monasteries and castles served different purposes, so while monasteries were large stone structures built in only the most productive, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the occupants focused on learning offensive and defensive practices. The bare fortresses did not provide for the quiet avocation of horticulture. The finest example of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent in modern times is Berkeley Castle. The keep is said to date from the time of William the Conqueror. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling underneath the walls, an immense terrace encircles the building. A scenic bowling green, enveloped in grass and bordered by battlements cut out of an ancient yew hedge, makes one of the terraces.
Original Water Delivery Solutions in Rome
Original Water Delivery Solutions in Rome
Prior to 273, when the first elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was constructed in Roma, residents who lived on hills had to travel further down to gather their water from natural sources. If inhabitants residing at higher elevations did not have access to springs or the aqueduct, they’d have to be dependent on the other existing technologies of the time, cisterns that compiled rainwater from the sky and subterranean wells that drew the water from under ground. Beginning in the sixteenth century, a new strategy was introduced, using Acqua Vergine’s subterranean sectors to supply water to Pincian Hill. During the length of the aqueduct’s route were pozzi, or manholes, that gave entry. Even though they were primarily manufactured to make it possible to service the aqueduct, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi started out using the manholes to accumulate water from the channel, starting when he acquired the property in 1543. Apparently, the rainwater cistern on his property wasn’t sufficient to fulfill his needs. To provide himself with a much more practical system to assemble water, he had one of the manholes opened up, providing him access to the aqueduct below his property.