Aerial Investigation and Mapping at Royal Fort Gardens, Bristol

A UAV photogrammetric survey in August 2025 recorded parch marks on the southern lawn of Royal Fort Gardens, University of Bristol. The imagery produced detailed orthophotographs and elevation models, identifying twenty-nine features, twenty-one of probable archaeological origin. Several align with the projected line of the seventeenth-century Royal Fort wall, confirming earlier reconstructions, while others reflect later Repton-era landscaping and modern services. The results refine understanding of the fort’s extent and demonstrate the value of UAV photogrammetry as an efficient, non-invasive method for investigating and monitoring complex historic landscapes.

A UAV photogrammetric survey in August 2025 recorded parch marks on the southern lawn of Royal Fort Gardens, University of Bristol. The imagery produced detailed orthophotographs and elevation models, identifying twenty-nine features, twenty-one of probable archaeological origin. Several align with the projected line of the seventeenth-century Royal Fort wall, confirming earlier reconstructions, while others reflect later Repton-era landscaping and modern services. The results refine understanding of the fort’s extent and demonstrate the value of UAV photogrammetry as an efficient, non-invasive method for investigating and monitoring complex historic landscapes.

The survey has produced results that are of interest for archaeological interpretations of the site, especially with regard to the location of trenches and the alignment of the Royal Fort Wall.
Twenty-nine features were mapped, with twenty-one interpreted as archaeological or man-made in origin. Several key parch marks aligned precisely with the hypothesised line of the seventeenth-century Royal Fort wall, validating earlier conjectural plans and linking the aerial evidence with previously excavated sections.
Additional linear and curvilinear marks indicate eighteenth- and nineteenth-century reworking of the site during Humphry Repton’s landscaping, while several modern service lines and past excavation trenches were also identified. Natural features were distinguished through their irregular shapes, slope alignment, and correlation with known geological variations.
Overall, the survey provides an important spatial dataset confirming the survival and position of Civil War fortifications at Royal Fort. It refines the understanding of how the site evolved through subsequent estate landscaping and later university development. Beyond its immediate archaeological value, this work highlights the effectiveness of UAV-based recording as a rapid, non-invasive method for investigating heritage sites, and strengthens the regional research framework for Bristol’s post-medieval and Civil War archaeology.