Page 37 - aug20

Famous gardens around the world have fountains
of varying beauty and almost magical construction,
like those in the Alhambra in Spain, Longwood
in the United States, and the list goes on.
However, it is the Villa d’Este in Italy, a
16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, that is
most known for its profusion of fountains. The
fame and glory of the Villa d’Este was above
all established by its extraordinary system of
fountains; fifty-one fountains and nymphaeums,
398 spouts, 364 water jets, 64 waterfalls, and 220
basins, fed by 875 metres of canals, channels
and cascades, and all working entirely by the
force of gravity, without pumps.

Fountains are playful, and artistic with changes
in design much like a piece of music depending
on the composer, and such a beautiful addition
to so many gardens - like those at Kew, or the
water gardens in Bali. They can also be
striking examples of man’s attempt at power
over nature, with the Jet d’eau in Geneva, or
King Fahd’s Fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
which spouts water 260m above the Red Sea.

Water fountains have had and continue to have
major religious significance, which is why many
feel that they are good for the spirit. In this
sense they are also important features for the
private garden. They bring peace and music to
the garden, and are very good for the bruised
soul after a day at work. When simple pleasures
are so easy to achieve with all our modern day
technology and artistry, it would be amiss not to
add such a simple water feature to the garden,
and to watch the water gush or trickle as
centuries of our ancestors have done before.

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