The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed with children in mind. It is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park in London, just south of the Serpentine Lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery. Its cornerstone was laid in September of 2003 and it opened on July 6, 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 753 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1501 × 1195 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 753 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1501 × 1195 pixel, file size: 1. ... Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor; née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of Elizabeth II. Her two sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third, respectively, in line to the... The Serpentine, viewed from the eastern end Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London and one of the Royal Parks of London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Serpentine is a lake in Hyde Park, London. ... The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, central London, which focuses on modern and contempory art. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ...

The fountain was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, an American landscape artist, and cost 3.5 million pounds. The 545 individual pieces of Cornish granite were cut using sophisticated computer-guided cutting machines by S McConnell and Sons in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland. Kathryn Gustafson Kathryn Gustafson (born 1951) is an American landscape architect and artist. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow) is a county in South West England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Motto:  (Latin for Who will separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Ulster Scots, Irish3, Northern Ireland Sign Language, Irish Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of...

Although described as an oval stone fountain, it has the form of a large, oval stream bed about 50 by 80 m (165 by 260 feet) that surrounds, and is surrounded by, a lush grassy field. The granite streambed is from 3 to 6 m (10 to 20 feet) wide and quite shallow and is laid out on a gently sloping portion of the park, so that water pumped to the top of the oval flows down either side. One side of the stream bed descends fairly smoothly to the downhill end of the oval with gentle ripples. The other side consists of a variety of steps, rills, curves, and other shapes so that the water plays in interesting ways as it flows to the tranquil pool at the bottom. The two sides were intended to show the two sides of Diana's life, both happy times and turmoil. The worlds highest fountain: King Fahds Fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Three traditional fountain features: a low jet, a pair of raised basins, and sculpture with a water theme, here hippocamps (Villa Borghese, Rome) A traditional fountain is an arrangement where water issues from a source (Latin fons...

Detail of stream bed without water flowing

In addition, because Diana was a contemporary and accessible princess, the fountain's goal was to allow people access to the structure and to the water for quiet wading and contemplation. However, shortly after its opening and after three hospitalizations caused by people slipping in the water, the fountain was closed. It reopened in August 2004, surrounded by a new fence, and people are now prevented from walking or running in the water by six wardens. Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain detail with the water turned off. ... Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain detail with the water turned off. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

However, even though the fountain was only open for a part of the 2004 season, and the weather was not particularly wet, the grass adjacent to part of the fountain was almost obliterated, and it appeared that it would turn to a quagmire if heavy rain ever fell during the main visiting season. Therefore in December 2004, another alteration project was started. This involved work on the drainage, together with laying new hard surfaces on some of the most frequently walked areas of the site and the planting of a special hard wearing rye grass mix in others. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ryegrass (Lolium) is a small genus of tufted grasses, belonging to the Grass family Poaceae. ...

External links

• Description of fountain's design
• Royal Parks Press Room page
• Discussion of minor controversies
• BBC reports the reopening of the fountain

Coordinates: 51°30′16.73″N, 00°10′17.43″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...