More information : (ST 58867406) Prior's Hill Fort (NR) (Site of). (1)
Prior's Hill Fort "...was situated on the very edge of the hill properly called Prior's Hill, but frequently Ninetree Hill; commanding a fine and extensive prospect...It must have been a large and strong work, for it was mounted with 13 pieces of ordnance and had two tiers of loopholes; the exact site is discernible from the unevenness of the ground, but its form cannot be traced...". Although the line must have gone straight from Colston's Mount to Prior's Hill Fort there is no trace of it. (2)
Sited to the eastern side of what is now Fremantle Road as it approaches the corner of Fremantle Square to the south-east. A nearby block of flats is shown as being named Prior's Hill. (3)
In 1642 orders were given to increase the fortifications of Bristol. Three bastioned forts were required on the dominant positions of Prior's Hill, Windmill Hill, and Brandon Hill. The forts are thought to have been completed as they were originally conceived, Prior's Hill Fort being armed with 13 guns. (4)
The Royalists attacked and captured Prior's Hill in July 1643, and improvements, including two tiers of loopholes, were instigated. The Fort was captured by Parliamentary forces on 10th September 1645. (4)
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