Gibraltar's Changing Coastline

A close look at a selection of historical prints, maps, watercolours and oils of Gibraltar shows us lots of interesting details of how Gibraltar has changed over the last three centuries, but especially the way Gibraltar’s coastline has developed in line with the changing needs of the fortress.

This coloured aquatint entitled ‘View of Gibraltar From Devil’s Tongue Battery’ by Lieutenant Henry Aston Barker, dates from 1804. Situated atop the Old Mole, at this time the battery helped to cover both the anchorage and neutral ground to the north and the western side of the Bay to the south. This spectacular view of the Rock stands as a good example of the changes that this area of Gibraltar has undergone. Since the painting of this view, all of the area seen has been reclaimed from the sea. Watergardens now stands on the land to the left and Varyl Begg and Montagu Gardens Estates on the land to the right. Devil’s Tongue is today home to a garden centre, but much of the original structure still survives.

This other general panorama of the Rock, an anonymous watercolour dating from 1800, shows the city walls running along the base of the Rock. The walls once marked the boundaries of the city. It also illustrates how mistakes can be made when drawing from memory – Charles V Wall is shown zig-zagging in the wrong direction up the Rock!

A closer look at the city walls in a number of watercolours by Lieutenant Frederick Leeds Edridge, shows the sea lapping at the city walls. This view of the Line Wall before the construction of Wellington Front, at the back of the Convent, and the view of the South Mole from Rosia Road both date from 1836 and clearly show the sea at the base of the walls. Note also the presence of steamships in the Bay. The first of these arrived in the 1820s. Before the end of that century the entire area south of Charles V Wall would be transformed with the construction of the dockyard.

This early photograph of the dockyard shows the transformation that took place along the City Walls following its construction

This watercolour, an oblique view of the Bay from the Rock, is entitled ‘Lookout Duty’ and dates from the 19th Century. In it you can appreciate the stark, artificial coastline, the Line Wall, which is clearly visible. This defined the Fortress of Gibraltar at the time. The sentry post on the ridge, traditionally referred to as the ‘Moorish Lookout’, is of British construction and its purpose is evident in this watercolour. Note also how Gibraltar’s east side had been allowed to retain its natural coastline, as the sheer east-side cliffs were considered sufficient defence in themselves.

It is not only the construction of the city walls that changed Gibraltar’s coastline. Gibraltar’s sea cliffs were also altered by quarrying activities. This ‘View of the Devil’s Bowling Green with the pass leading to Europa from the south’ dates from the 1780s. It shows the Devil’s Bowling Green which was a naturally sloping expanse of rocky ground in the area of what is today Nuffield Pool and the adjoining car park. Enemy cannon balls falling short of the buildings in the area would roll back off the cliff- imitating a game of Bowles. The cliffs were heavily quarried in the 19th century and now no longer exist.

Living in close proximity to the coast means that the changing moods of the sea can often be appreciated. This watercolour ‘Stormy Seas’ again by Lieut. Frederick Leeds Edridge shows powerful waves battering the coast of Gibraltar.

This lithograph ‘Seesturm Bei Gibraltar’ (or Shipwreck off Gibraltar), by Heinrich Jessen, dates from 1870 and shows the effect these storms had on shipping around our shores, an ever-present danger as exemplified by the recent ‘New Flame’ and ‘Fedra’ incidents (below).