Address: Tyndall Avenue, Redland, Bristol, BS8 1UH
Free to enter and open to the public throughout the year. Set within the heart of Bristol and awarded Green Flag status, the Royal Fort Gardens provide a combination of rolling lawns, wooded areas, planted borders, event areas and art works that are a relaxing and absorbing distraction to urban life and a welcome green haven for all to enjoy.
Following a failed attempt to develop the gardens for housing, at the end of the eighteenth century, renowned landscape architect Humphry Repton was commissioned to reinstate a garden in the 'English Landscape' fashion that co. Repton produced a design which filled in the unsightly excavations; created an undulating lawn and screened the undesirable - or framed the desirable – views and provide a complementary setting to the Classical Georgian Royal Fort House. A high wall surrounds and retains the garden. This would have acted as a 'ha-ha' to gain what, at the time, would have been unspoiled vistas.
The garden is now widely used for student activities and by the local community for relaxation, contains a small pond, trees, and a variety of wildlife habitats to increase the gardens biodiversity. The garden team are especially proud of the colourful wildflower meadow, there to be enjoyed by visitor and pollinators alike throughout the Summer and Autumn months.
Over the years several art works have been installed around the garden for visitors to discover as they explore. A mirror maze "Follow Me" designed by the internationally recognised artist Jeppe Hein is a favourite with young families. The thought provoking, Kate Paterson’s ‘Hollow’ brings together 10,000 unique tree species and the most recent addition, a statue of Henrietta Lacks by sculptor Helen Wilson-Roe.
More information on the public art around Royal Fort Garden and elsewhere at the University can be found here.
