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.
Another type of bollard is called a Dragon's tooth. This is a square, pyramidal bole made from reinforced concrete. The first recorded use of dragon's teeth was in the Siegfried Line in World War II. Their purpose was to retard the progress of tanks and gently guide them toward pre-designated "killing zones."
Boll-Art at Winchester Cathedral shows a whimsical example of boles used both decoratively and functionally. Designed to protect pedestrians from nearby vehicles, the posts have been painted with various themes. Mona Lisa is accompanied by works adapted from Matisse, Lautrec, Mondrian, Klimt 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.
Often, you will see the posts lit up from the inside to help motorists avoid jumping curbs at night. One London artist took it upon herself to decorate one on her street with delightful flowers and butterflies drawn in marker pen. Apparently, in her home town of Bribane, Australia, the city council positively encourages people to decorate signal boxes in this manner.
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 an inescapable part of urban life, at least in the United Kingdom. London is full of 'em. We trip over them. We back into them. We curse them and sometimes, we paint them. We wouldn't want to be without them. In a world with no boulards, more pedestrians would be struck by vehicles, cars would go the wrong way down one-way streets and sailors would not be able to make figure eight's with their ropes. Boles. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Long live the bollard!
Another type of bollard is called a Dragon's tooth. This is a square, pyramidal bole made from reinforced concrete. The first recorded use of dragon's teeth was in the Siegfried Line in World War II. Their purpose was to retard the progress of tanks and gently guide them toward pre-designated "killing zones."
Boll-Art at Winchester Cathedral shows a whimsical example of boles used both decoratively and functionally. Designed to protect pedestrians from nearby vehicles, the posts have been painted with various themes. Mona Lisa is accompanied by works adapted from Matisse, Lautrec, Mondrian, Klimt 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.
Often, you will see the posts lit up from the inside to help motorists avoid jumping curbs at night. One London artist took it upon herself to decorate one on her street with delightful flowers and butterflies drawn in marker pen. Apparently, in her home town of Bribane, Australia, the city council positively encourages people to decorate signal boxes in this manner.
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 an inescapable part of urban life, at least in the United Kingdom. London is full of 'em. We trip over them. We back into them. We curse them and sometimes, we paint them. We wouldn't want to be without them. In a world with no boulards, more pedestrians would be struck by vehicles, cars would go the wrong way down one-way streets and sailors would not be able to make figure eight's with their ropes. Boles. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Long live the bollard!
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