A bollard (aka "boles" or (French) "boulard") is a short, vertical post. Originally used mainly for mooring ships, bollards today have a number of functions. Among the earliest boles to be documented is the white marble Arch of Septimius Serverus in AD 203. Here, five of the structures are in place to protect the arch from damage by vehicles. It is unclear whether these were in place at the time the arch was constructed or whether they were installed later. Today, a bollard is likely to be set into the pavement in front of an expensive jewelry store to discourage would-be ram-raiders.
A dragon's tooth is a special kind of bollard. Dragon's teeth are pyramidal square posts made from reinforced concrete. They were used extensively during the Second World War for the purpose of halting the movement of enemy tanks and directing them into "killing zones." The Siegfried Line used a lot of dragon's teeth. This was a defense system that was erected directly opposite the French Maginot Line in the 1930s.
The area around Winchester Cathedral has a whimsical display of boulards used both functionally as well as decoratively. Designed primarily to keep vehicle traffic separate from pedestrians, a number of them have been painted with features from famous paintings. Here, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa joins adapted works of Mondrian, Lautrec, Klimt, Matisse and others.
Another type of bollard is called a bell. Sitting at the crossroads of sidewalks, they look like they have been dropped there to trip the unwary pedestrian. This is not the case. They are there actually to protect the pedestrian from being run over by a careless trucker driver.
On London streets you will see the posts lit from the inside in an effort to help motorists see where to turn. One artistically-inclined Londoner used a felt-tip pen to decorate one near her home with lovely butterflies and flowers. She got the idea from her home town of Brisbane in Australia, where the city council actively encouraged residents to decorate things like signal boxes.
Probably one of the most elaborate examples of boll-art is in London, located on Duke Square in the Sloane Street area of SW1. A boy is shown leap-frogging over a bollard. Nearby, there is a little girl sitting on top of a concrete plinth. Engraved on the plinth is the title of the piece, "The Two Pupils, " and a short description of how they came to be there.
The concept of a mooring bollard with a cross bar to enable sailors to twist rope around in a figure 8 is especially eye-catching for tourists. Popularly photographed examples include "Mooring bollard at sunset, Lyme Regis, " "Ghent mooring bollard, " and "Mooring bollard in the Marina of Izola."
The bollard is a familiar object of life in Britain. We back into them in our cars, we trip over them in our streets. They protect us from bombers, ram-raiders and truck-drivers. They keep sailors figure-eight-tracing skills up to date and keep tourists occupied. Where would we be without the beautiful bollard!
A dragon's tooth is a special kind of bollard. Dragon's teeth are pyramidal square posts made from reinforced concrete. They were used extensively during the Second World War for the purpose of halting the movement of enemy tanks and directing them into "killing zones." The Siegfried Line used a lot of dragon's teeth. This was a defense system that was erected directly opposite the French Maginot Line in the 1930s.
The area around Winchester Cathedral has a whimsical display of boulards used both functionally as well as decoratively. Designed primarily to keep vehicle traffic separate from pedestrians, a number of them have been painted with features from famous paintings. Here, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa joins adapted works of Mondrian, Lautrec, Klimt, Matisse and others.
Another type of bollard is called a bell. Sitting at the crossroads of sidewalks, they look like they have been dropped there to trip the unwary pedestrian. This is not the case. They are there actually to protect the pedestrian from being run over by a careless trucker driver.
On London streets you will see the posts lit from the inside in an effort to help motorists see where to turn. One artistically-inclined Londoner used a felt-tip pen to decorate one near her home with lovely butterflies and flowers. She got the idea from her home town of Brisbane in Australia, where the city council actively encouraged residents to decorate things like signal boxes.
Probably one of the most elaborate examples of boll-art is in London, located on Duke Square in the Sloane Street area of SW1. A boy is shown leap-frogging over a bollard. Nearby, there is a little girl sitting on top of a concrete plinth. Engraved on the plinth is the title of the piece, "The Two Pupils, " and a short description of how they came to be there.
The concept of a mooring bollard with a cross bar to enable sailors to twist rope around in a figure 8 is especially eye-catching for tourists. Popularly photographed examples include "Mooring bollard at sunset, Lyme Regis, " "Ghent mooring bollard, " and "Mooring bollard in the Marina of Izola."
The bollard is a familiar object of life in Britain. We back into them in our cars, we trip over them in our streets. They protect us from bombers, ram-raiders and truck-drivers. They keep sailors figure-eight-tracing skills up to date and keep tourists occupied. Where would we be without the beautiful bollard!
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