Princess Diana memorial fountain
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales . It is located in the southwest area of London's Hyde Park , in the immediate vicinity of the Serpentine Lake . The foundation stone was laid in September 2003 by Queen Elisabeth II . The fountain was officially inaugurated on July 6, 2004.
The fountain was designed by American landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson and cost £ 3.6 million. The total of 545 items were made - from Cornwall - derived granite in Northern Ireland created with the help of a computer-controlled milling machine.
It is commonly referred to as an oval stone fountain and surrounds an area of 50 m × 80 m. The individual granite elements are between 3 and 6 m wide. It is located on a gently sloping terrain. This allows the water to flow into the larger lower sump on either side of the stream. On the one hand, the water flows down rather calmly, with a slight ripple. The other side is made up of curves, steps and the like. Ä. Coined what caused a wilder river until the water flows into the again silent collecting basin. This concept should reflect the happy and turbulent years in Diana's life.
The accessibility of the fountain and the contact with the water should also symbolize the contemporary and accessible personality of Diana. However, due to its accessibility, several accidents soon occurred because people slipped on the wet stone. The fountain was closed again shortly after it opened. Three weeks later, in August 2004, it was put back into operation. He is now surrounded by a small fence and is monitored by six security guards.
Although the well was only in operation for a short time and it hadn't rained heavily, the surrounding soil was softened by overflowing water, so that it was feared that it would become silted up with heavy rainfall. As a result, further measures were taken in December 2004: a new system for better drainage of the soil was installed, heavily frequented walking areas were paved and a more resistant lawn was planted.
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Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 17 ″ N , 0 ° 10 ′ 17 ″ W.