User:Gibmetal77/sandbox/Forbes' Battery
| Forbes' Battery | |
|---|---|
| Part of Northern Defences of Gibraltar | |
| Gibraltar | |
 The remains of a 1918 gun at Lower Forbes' battery. | |
  Forbes' Battery | |
| Coordinates | 36°08′49″N 5°20′48″W / 36.147081°N 5.346779°W |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of Gibraltar |
| Controlled by | Gibraltar |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1727 |
| Built by | Government of the United Kingdom |
| In use | 1727 - 1944 |
| Materials | Brick, limestone & concrete |
| Battles/wars | Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar (1727) Great Siege of Gibraltar World War II |
Forbes' Battery is an 18th century artillery battery located on the north face of the Rock of Gibraltar in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
History[edit]
Forbes' Battery is located at the extreme northern end of Gibraltar's Northern Defences, overlooking the north-western corner of the isthmus connecting The Rock with Spain. It was built in 1727,[1] and was one of the earliest named British batteries in Gibraltar having been named after George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard, then a lieutenant with the Royal Navy, who had been aide-de-camp to Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt when they landed on The Rock during the Capture of Gibraltar in August 1704.[2] Lt. Forbes later briefly participated in the defence of Gibraltar against Spanish forces during the 1727 siege after he had arrived on The Rock in 1726 to design and see the construction of the battery which was to carry his name.[2] The two-cannon battery had its guns pointing towards Grand Battery at the city's northern limit and not at the actual isthmus. The idea being that should the enemy penetrate so far they would then be fired upon from behind.[2] Following the 1727 siege the Spaniards admitted that Forbes' Battery had been the one they had feared most.[2] A barrier which was placed to control the entrance to the garrison between the base of The Rock, below the battery, and the marshy ground around the Inundation and coast to the west was named Forbes' Barrier.[2]
Forbes' Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Crone, Jim. "Forbes' Battery". DiscoverGibraltar.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Finlayson, Clive & Geraldine (1999). Gibraltar at the end of the Millennium: A Portrait of a Changing Land. Gibraltar: Aquila Services.
- ^ "Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act 1989" (PDF). gibraltarlaws.gov.gi. Government of Gibraltar. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- Finlayson, Clive & Geraldine (1999). Gibraltar at the end of the Millennium: A Portrait of a Changing Land. Gibraltar: Aquila Services.
[[Category:History of Gibraltar]
[[Category:Military of Gibraltar]