Tuesday 24 April 2007

A fayre fountain



















The pre-excavation information that we have about the Elizabethan garden at Kenilworth comes from a letter written by Robert Laneham (who was Clerk of the Council Chamber to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester) describing the visit of Queen Elizabeth I in 1575. The recently completed excavations have confirmed the layout as contained in Laneham's letter. The focal point of the centre of the garden was an elaborate octagonal fountain. The complete foundations for this were discovered during excavation along with culverts for bringing water in and out of the fountain, and white marble chips that show the accuracy of Laneham's account.

He said:
In the center (az it wear) of this goodly Gardein, was theer placed a very fayre Foountain, cast intoo an eight square, reared a four foot hy, from the midst whearof a Colum vp set in the shape of too Athlants ioined togeather a backhalf, the toon looking East, toother West, with theyr hands vphollding a fayr formed boll, of a three foot ouer: from wheans sundrye fine pipez did liuely distill continuall streamz intoo the receyt of the Foountayn, maynteyned styll too foot deep by the same fresh falling water: whearin pleazauntly playing too & fro, & round about, Carp, Tench, Bream, and for varietee, Pearch & Eel, fysh fayrliking all, and large; in the toppe, the ragged staffe, which, with the boll, the pillar, and eyght sides beneath, wear all heawen oout of rich & hard white Marbl. A one syde, Neptune with his Tridental Fuskin triumphing in hiz Throne, trayled into the deep by his marine horsez. On another, Thetis in her chariot drawn by her Dollphins. Then, Triton by hiz fyshez. Heer, Protheus hearding hiz sea buls. Thear, Doris & her dooughterz solacyng a sea & sandz. The wauez scourging with froth & fome, entermengled in place with whalez, whirlpoolz, sturgeonz, Tunneyz, Conchs, & wealks: all engrauen by exquisit deuize and skill, so az I maye thinke this not much inferioour vnto Phoebus gatez, which (Quid sayz), & peraduentur a pattern to thiz, that Vulcan himself dyd cut: whearof such was the excellency of art, that the woork in valu surmoounted the stuff; and yet wer the gatez all of clean massy syluer.

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