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Willis' Magazine
Willis' Magazine is an 18th-century large Magazine (artillery), magazine in the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The magazine sits on a plateau with several artillery batteries. Description This magazine is said to be the "largest of its type" remaining anywhere in the world. It has been in a derelict state for decades although work has taken place to clear debris. The general layout consisting of four large magazine chambers surrounded by a two level lighting corridor. This would have provided light through windows along the walls whilst preventing any naked flame from oil lamps from getting near to the magazine's gunpowder. The magazine sits on Willis's Plateau which is a historic place for the placement of Gibraltar's northern defences. The batteries include Princess Anne's Battery, Princess Amelia's Battery and Princess Royal's Battery and behinds these are the start of the World War II Tunnels of Gibraltar. The magazine is named for Cap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fortifications Of Gibraltar
The Gibraltar peninsula, located at the far southern end of Iberia, has great strategic importance as a result of its position by the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has repeatedly been contested between European and North African powers and has endured fourteen sieges since it was first settled in the 11th century. The peninsula's occupants – Moors, Spanish, and British – have built successive layers of fortifications and defences including walls, bastions, casemates, gun batteries, magazines, tunnels and galleries. At their peak in 1865, the fortifications housed around 681 guns mounted in 110 batteries and positions, guarding all land and sea approaches to Gibraltar. Hughes & Migos, p. 91 The fortifications continued to be in military use until as late as the 1970s and by the time tunnelling ceased in the late 1960s, over of galleries had been dug in an area of only . Gibraltar's fortifications are clustered in three main a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
