The reinstatement of the West Moat at Fort Cornwallis reintroduced an historically documented defensive component that had been progressively infilled and obscured. The works involved archaeological verification of the original ditch profile, controlled excavation, graded embankments, and the introduction of a managed water system designed to improve drainage performance and mitigate surface runoff within the fort urban precinct. Retaining edges and revetments were detailed to ensure structural stability while maintaining visual continuity with the surviving historic fabric.
As part of the initiative, the former wooden bridge at the West Entrance, which had largely disappeared except for its central stone and brick pillars, was reconstituted in analogy with historic visual records of the bridges formerly located on the east and north sides of the fort, adopting proportions, structural details and a material expression consistent with documented precedents. The concomitant restoration of the West Entrance reinstated its segmental arch composition with symmetrically arranged voussoirs, marked keystone, impost blocks and faux-ashlar plaster coursing incised to simulate masonry continuity. The treatment reflects classical and neo-classical precedents disseminated through Renaissance and later British architectural pattern books, where the arch and scored plaster wall are conceived as a unified surface, articulated with brick capping and maintaining the original axial clarity in keeping with the fort’s formal language.
Altogether, the reinstatement of this section of the moat has restored the original elevation of the western flank wall, reasserted its defensive geometry and hydraulic function, and reinstated the integrity and spatial legibility of the western approach, while simultaneously strengthening public access and interpretive value.