A bollard is simply a short post in an upright position. In the past, these were generally used to moor ships. Today, they have a multitude of functions. Another name for a bollard is a "bole" or a "boulard" (from the French). One of the earliest known bollards is made of white marble and is placed at the northwest end of the Roman Forum. It is called the Arch of Septimius Severus and was erected in AD 203 in commemoration of one of his military victories. Beyond the arch itself are located five boulards, placed there to protect the arch from vehicle damage. It is not clear when they were placed there. In modern times, a bollard is likely to be placed in front of an expensive shop to dissuade wannabe ram-raiders or to discourage suicide bombers from driving into public buildings.
Dragon's teeth are a special form of bollard. These are square pyramidal posts of reinforced concrete. They were first used during the Second World War to slow down the progress of tanks and to channel them towards "killing zones." Dragon's teeth were extensively employed in the Siegfried Line, a defense system built in the 1930s opposite the French Maginot Line.
Boll-Art at Winchester Cathedral shows a whimsical example of boles used both decoratively and functionally. Designed to protect pedestrians from nearby vehicles, the posts have been painted with various themes. Mona Lisa is accompanied by works adapted from Matisse, Lautrec, Mondrian, Klimt and others.
Another type of bollard is the bell. Situated on sidewalks at traffic junctions, they would appear to have the function of causing pedestrians to trip and fall, or at least stub their toes. Not so. Their shape presumably keeps heavy goods vehicles from jumping onto the pavement.
Often, you will see the posts lit up from the inside to help motorists avoid jumping curbs at night. One London artist took it upon herself to decorate one on her street with delightful flowers and butterflies drawn in marker pen. Apparently, in her home town of Bribane, Australia, the city council positively encourages people to decorate signal boxes in this manner.
One of London's most elaborate bollard sculptures is located at Duke of York Square near Sloane Street. This is the Leapfrog Bollard, depicting a bollard circa 1819 with a little boy leapfrogging over it. Next to the boy, sitting atop a plinth, is a little girl. The total picture is called "Two Pupils, " and the plinth is etched with their story.
There is something about the mooring bollard with a perpendicular bar that seems to attract tourists with cameras. The purpose of the bar is to enable sailors to wind ropes around in a figure eight pattern when mooring a boat or a ship. Recent examples may be found in Marina of Izola, Lyme Regis and in the borough of Ghent in the principality of Wales.
The bollard is an inescapable part of urban life, at least in the United Kingdom. London is full of 'em. We trip over them. We back into them. We curse them and sometimes, we paint them. We wouldn't want to be without them. In a world with no boulards, more pedestrians would be struck by vehicles, cars would go the wrong way down one-way streets and sailors would not be able to make figure eight's with their ropes. Boles. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Long live the bollard!
Dragon's teeth are a special form of bollard. These are square pyramidal posts of reinforced concrete. They were first used during the Second World War to slow down the progress of tanks and to channel them towards "killing zones." Dragon's teeth were extensively employed in the Siegfried Line, a defense system built in the 1930s opposite the French Maginot Line.
Boll-Art at Winchester Cathedral shows a whimsical example of boles used both decoratively and functionally. Designed to protect pedestrians from nearby vehicles, the posts have been painted with various themes. Mona Lisa is accompanied by works adapted from Matisse, Lautrec, Mondrian, Klimt and others.
Another type of bollard is the bell. Situated on sidewalks at traffic junctions, they would appear to have the function of causing pedestrians to trip and fall, or at least stub their toes. Not so. Their shape presumably keeps heavy goods vehicles from jumping onto the pavement.
Often, you will see the posts lit up from the inside to help motorists avoid jumping curbs at night. One London artist took it upon herself to decorate one on her street with delightful flowers and butterflies drawn in marker pen. Apparently, in her home town of Bribane, Australia, the city council positively encourages people to decorate signal boxes in this manner.
One of London's most elaborate bollard sculptures is located at Duke of York Square near Sloane Street. This is the Leapfrog Bollard, depicting a bollard circa 1819 with a little boy leapfrogging over it. Next to the boy, sitting atop a plinth, is a little girl. The total picture is called "Two Pupils, " and the plinth is etched with their story.
There is something about the mooring bollard with a perpendicular bar that seems to attract tourists with cameras. The purpose of the bar is to enable sailors to wind ropes around in a figure eight pattern when mooring a boat or a ship. Recent examples may be found in Marina of Izola, Lyme Regis and in the borough of Ghent in the principality of Wales.
The bollard is an inescapable part of urban life, at least in the United Kingdom. London is full of 'em. We trip over them. We back into them. We curse them and sometimes, we paint them. We wouldn't want to be without them. In a world with no boulards, more pedestrians would be struck by vehicles, cars would go the wrong way down one-way streets and sailors would not be able to make figure eight's with their ropes. Boles. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Long live the bollard!
About the Author:
When you want to find information about bollards, go to the website here today. You can see details at http://www.vertulighting.com now.
No comments:
Post a Comment