Archaeological Excavations of Royal Fort Gardens, St. Michael's Hill, Bristol

Archaeological fieldwork comprised the hand-excavation of three targeted trenches positioned to investigate geophysical anomalies and to sample areas relevant to the site's research aims. Trenches were established using taped offsets from fixed reference points and recorded in relation to the National Grid. Topsoil and turf were removed by hand to expose archaeological deposits. Excavation proceeded stratigraphically, with all contexts individually recorded using standard context sheets, measured plans, sections, and digital photography. Where required, sondages were opened to clarify stratigraphic relationships. A single-context recording system was used throughout. All features were planned at 1:20 or 1:10, with sections drawn at 1:10. Levels were taken with a dumpy level and tied to known site benchmarks. Deposits were excavated using appropriate hand tools, with spoil scanned visually for artefacts. All finds were bagged and labelled by context. Environmental material was collected where appropriate. Geophysical results from earlier magnetometry and resistivity surveys informed trench placement and were consulted during excavation to guide interpretation. On completion, trenches were backfilled and reinstated. All records, plans, photographs, and finds were processed according to the Department of Anthropology & Archaeology's archiving standards, forming part of the project archive (Accession No. DAAC 2022.01) The project identified surviving elements of the seventeenth-century Royal Fort, including the line of the south-western boundary wall and associated bank and internal defensive deposits, confirming the fort's position and contributing new evidence for its layout and construction (wall M01 and rubble/mortar deposits). Excavation also demonstrated the extent of Humphry Repton's late-eighteenth-century landscaping, with substantial deposits of redeposited clay, wall-derived rubble, and re-graded ground surfaces matching his documented alterations. A series of garden features, tree-throws, and post-Civil War midden deposits were identified, helping clarify how the landscape was used and modified from the mid-seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Although artefactual material was limited and largely residual, the project produced important structural evidence that refines the understanding of the Civil War defensive system, the post-1655 slighting, and the later evolution of the Royal Fort Gardens. These outcomes contribute directly to regional research frameworks concerning the Civil War, historic fortifications, and designed landscapes in Bristol.