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 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.
Boles are frequently lit up from the inside to aid visibility to motorists and keep them on the right side of the street. One local resident in London got hold of a marker pen and drew flowers and butterflies on a nearby bollard. She drew inspiration from her home town of Brisbane, where the town council encouraged locals to decorate their signal boxes.
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 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 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.
Boles are frequently lit up from the inside to aid visibility to motorists and keep them on the right side of the street. One local resident in London got hold of a marker pen and drew flowers and butterflies on a nearby bollard. She drew inspiration from her home town of Brisbane, where the town council encouraged locals to decorate their signal boxes.
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 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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