Gibraltar Off The Beaten Path Tips by easyoar Top 5 Page for this destination

A Big Gun at the top of the Rock Forts / Batteries / Castles Review

As Gibraltar looks across the Gibraltar straits, which are fairly narrow, it plays a key part in controlling access to and from the Mediterrainean Sea.

Having a big rock here means that from the top, you can see right across to Africa. Therefore putting a big gun on the top of the rock gives you the ability to hit any shipping coming in or out (unless it is a submarine, but I believe other methods were used for these!).

Note:- I'm sure this gun is now retired ;-)

This picture shows one of the ig guns that was built by the British right on top of the Rock of Gibraltar. It's not the most interesting of photos, but it is possible to look out from the top and imagine the range of this gun fairly easily.

Healy's Mortar - Unfortunately it malfunctioned! Forts / Batteries / Castles Review

Healy's Mortar is effectively a round cyclindrical hole cut deep (at approx 45 degree angle) into some rock. The intention was to fill the bottom up with gunpowder (over 20kgs), then place a wooden cover of this, and then add around 1,500 rocks weighing approx 0.5 kilos each. A slow 5 minute fuse would then be lit whilst everyone nearby hid. The idea then was that the mortar would fire, and all of the rocks would hit Spanish lines. The picture shows the mortar hole on the left hand side, and a sign on the right describing the mortar.

Unfortunately, the rocks typically ended up hitting the British fortress, so the mortar was mothballed.

This Mortar can be found just North of the Apes Den at the Queens Gate on the Upper part of the Rock.