The Victualling Yard was a

victualling In the age of sail, arming or victualling a war ship, or war vessel had the meaning of equipping the ships with all the materials to navigate and the " victuals" necessary for the crew to subsist. So, in addition to the rigging (masts, sails and ...

facility in the

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Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

built for supplying

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

ships while anchored at

Rosia Bay Rosia Bay is the only natural harbour in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. Formerly referred to as Rosia Harbour, it is located on the southwest side of Gibraltar. Rosia Bay was the site of t ...

History

The early history of the Victualling Yard complex is traced back to the late 18th century. At that time, the dockyard was located at the New Mole, now referred to as the South Mole, and victualling was near the Old Mole, now known as the North Mole. 1827 Naval Stores at Rosia Bay

These facilities, however, suffered great damage during the

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...

due to its proximity to the Spanish land artillery to the north. In 1799, while residing at

Rosia Parade Rosia may refer to: *Rosia (), the Greek name for Rus' (region) * Rosia, Sovicille, a village in Tuscany, Italy *Roșia (disambiguation), villages in Romania *Roșia Montană, a commune in Romania *Roșia, a tributary of the river Dorna in Romania ...

in Gibraltar,

John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent ( ; 9 January 1735 – 13 March 1823) was a British Royal Navy admiral and politician. He served throughout the latter half of the 18th century and into the 19th, and was an active commander during the Seven ...

, Admiral in Charge of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

, recommended that the Royal Navy Victualling Yard be relocated to the Rosia Bay area, just south of the New Mole. Governor O'Hara did not approve of St Vincent's plan as he proposed to finance it by selling the naval stores at Waterport and Irish Town. However, St Vincent won. In addition to access to the bay, the site had the advantage of the protection afforded by Parson's Lodge Battery. It had the further advantage of being out of range of enemy gunfire from the North Front. Construction of the Rosia Water Tanks began in 1799 and was completed in 1804 by the contractor

Giovanni Maria Boschetti Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

. The entire Victualling Yard complex at Rosia Bay was completed by 1812. It formed part of the Royal Navy base and contained stores of food, water, and clothing in sufficient quantities for a large fleet. The

Rosia Mole Rosia may refer to: *Rosia (), the Greek name for Rus' (region) * Rosia, Sovicille, a village in Tuscany, Italy *Roșia (disambiguation), villages in Romania *Roșia Montană, a commune in Romania *Roșia, a tributary of the river Dorna in Romania ...

was the berthing place for the Royal Navy vessels seeking provisions and water from the Victualling Yard complex; it also held coal for the garrison.

Conservation

The complex was in use as a victualling yard until the 1980s and remained in

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

hands until 2004. It was described as 'until recently the best and least altered example of a Nvictualling depot' outside the British isles; however, the entrance to the Victualling Yard complex is the only portion to be listed with the

Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Gibraltar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity established by statute on 1 May 1989 to preserve and promote the cultural natural heritage of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Funding and responsibilities The Trust collaborates w ...

. Having taken ownership, the Gibraltar government demolished the unique underground water tanks in 2006, in the face of international opposition.

References

{{Buildings in Gibraltar Buildings and structures in Gibraltar Water transport in Gibraltar