Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
From ArticleWorld
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain has been built in the memory of Diana, the Princess of Wales, who died in a car accident in 1997. The fountain' was opened to the public on July 6th, 2004. The event was presided over by Queen Elizabeth and was attended by Diana's brother Earl Spencer, her ex-husband Prince Charles, and sons William and Harry. The event brought the Windsor and the Spencer families together for the first time since the princess's death in 1997.
The Monument
Built with the best materials, talent and technology, the Fountain is located in the south west corner of Hyde Park, London. It was designed by an US architect Kathryn Gustafson and was built at a cost of £3.6 million. Although called a fountain, the monument is actually built in the form of an oval loop of finely sculptured granite. Water enters this loop at the highest point and flows in two directions, meeting at the bottom where it forms a shallow pool and is recycled. This water is drawn from London’s water table and is constantly refreshed. One side of the oval arm flows down to the pool, in gentle ripples, while the other arm flows down in a riotous cascade. Three bridges lead to the centre of the fountain.
Symbolism
The monument is meant to be a tribute to Diana’s life. The arrangement of the granite arms of the fountain are open to many interpretations; the most common being that the two arms represent two conflicting facets of Diana’s life: placidity and turmoil.
Rocky Bottom
- The Fountain was initially designed for children, where they could play in the water and enter the shallow pool. Small accidents of their slipping in the pool and hurting themselves on the wet granite brought this endeavor to an end and now security guards check the children from going too near the pool.
- The trampled grass around the pool caused water stagnation and gave rise to muddy pools.