There’s no doubt fountains are works of art, but can only be so, if a plumbing system effectively supports the awesome display of water, lights and even music. Since plumbing requires skillful workmanship, it means plumbing, particularly for the commercial sector, is an artistic skill. After all, building fountains requires both creativity and engineering ingenuity to create structures that primarily function as spectacular displays, for aesthetic purposes.
As a matter of fact, fountains were built ahead of indoor plumbing systems that saw to the delivery of water through pipes. Ancient civilizations had pools, bath houses and fountains but they didn’t have a system that allowed water to come out of faucets, showers and toilet water closets. Actually, projects that embarked on developing indoor plumbing systems began only in the 18th century and was perfected only about a century later.
Lack of Plumbing Systems Resulted in the Great Stink of 1
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858Although plumbing systems enabled the delivery of water to fill bathtubs and water reservoirs, the matter of releasing wastes and waste water to sewages still needed appropriate solutions. During the Victorian era, majority of homes in the UK still did not have flushing toilets, which resulted in the Great Stink of 1858. Mainly because England’s population had been dumping their toilet wastes in the River Thames.
Examples of Famous Fountains as Earliest Forms of Plumbing Systems
The artefacts and archaeological findings dating as far back as 4,000 BC, revealed that the ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilizations used the earliest plumbing techniques in making water move and flow from special water reservoir into indoor pools and bath houses. Water supply of course, came from rivers, lakes and ponds and the plumbing systems in place also ensured that fountains fulfilled their aesthetic functions.
However, the first indoor fountain came about in 1829, when master plumber Isaiah Rogers helped build the plumbing of the indoor fountain of the Tremont Hotel in Rome.
Other examples of famous fountains include the following:
The Fountain of Apollo in France’s Palace de Versailles
The Stravinsky Fountain in Paris, albeit temporarily closed as the fountain statues are currently undergoing artistic repair. The timetable for their return is set to take place in 2023.
The Jet d’Eau Fountain of the Geneva Lake in Geneva, Switzerland, to which the title literally means “water jet.” Jet d’Eau is recognized as one of the tallest modern-day fountains across the world.
The Fountain of Wealth in Singapore was recognized in 1998, by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest fountain in the world. Yet the fountain’s popularity is aligned with the culture and beliefs of feng shui experts that water flowing inwards symbolizes money flowing in, hence the title Fountain of Wealth.
Fountains have also become quite popular in the US, especially in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. That is why most professional plumbers in the US specify if they render commercial plumbing services. In San Diego, providers of plumbing are quite in demand because fountains occur not only in commercial spaces but also in the homes of affluent people.