You may remember some months ago that a balloon came to visit Chester to take aerial photographs of the Amphitheatre site as part of an aerial survey. The results have finally come through, and the next section talks you through the process.
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was used to capture high quality digital images of the site from the air before work started on the excavations. Over 1000 images were captured and these will form a unique archive of the site and its immediate environs.
The digital camera was mounted on a bracket suspended under the balloon
Although the balloon was tethered by a rope the camera was radio controlled from the ground.
[Above] View from balloon looking vertically down on area B before excavation started.
[Above] The camera captured work on the site prior to the excavation starting. In this picture the wall across the site has been demolished and the walkway is under construction.
[Above] A view of Amphitheatre from above the city walls. In the foreground you can also see the Roman Gardens, further back towards the centre are the Law Courts, to the left of that is Dee House, and towards the back you can see the Chester Visitor Centre.
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