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.
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 structure of a bollard designed for mooring may have a cross bar on either side. This is to enable the ship's crew to wind the rope around it in a figure 8. This type of bollard is a source of fascination for tourists. "Ghent mooring bollard 17, "Mooring bollard in the Marina of Izola, " and "Mooring bollard at sunset, Lyme Regis" are all perfect examples.
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.
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 structure of a bollard designed for mooring may have a cross bar on either side. This is to enable the ship's crew to wind the rope around it in a figure 8. This type of bollard is a source of fascination for tourists. "Ghent mooring bollard 17, "Mooring bollard in the Marina of Izola, " and "Mooring bollard at sunset, Lyme Regis" are all perfect examples.
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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