Diana Memorial Fountain, which is a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. This fountain was designed to celebrate Diana’s life and legacy as a member of the British royal family and was opened to the general public in July of 2004.
I first visited the memorial fountain last summer when visiting for the first time with a friend of mine. We spent a couple of hours admiring the architecture and the number of families coming to visit, spend time together, and just enjoy the space. The fountain has two sides of water flowing in one direction, so at the bottom of the fountain, the two flows clash together. I think everyone knows how much Princess Diana loved and admired not only her own children but children all over the world. When spending time at the fountain you can see the space is filled with young children in swimsuits or diapers enjoying their time in the water, having no care in the world.
Throughout our readings in this course, I’ve noticed a lot of themes, but one that’s always stuck out to me is that children had to work to help provide for their families at the time. These children never got a proper childhood or really got to “enjoy” being a child, they were forced to grow up really quickly into small-bodied adults. Now I know history has changed, a lot, but being able to see a space that was first and foremost dedicated to a woman, and secondly made for enjoyment is something that makes me so happy to see. During the eras we’ve been reading about we really didn’t see women being celebrated in a way that wasn’t for their ranking in society or even children not having to work if they weren’t rich. This fountain may not be old, but I know it is and will continue to be a historical monument known around the world for good things.