The Great Siege - Gibraltar - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The sign reads: "What is a Siege? The Great Siege - A siege is when soldiers try to capture a strongly defended town or fortress by surrounding it. The attacking forces hope that by cutting off food, supplies and reinforcements the defenders will eventually surrender. This has happened many times to Gibraltar, but the 14th siege that began in 1779 and which lasted 3 years, 7 months and 12 days is known as 'The Great Siege'.

This tunnel was excavated during the siege, initially as a way of getting cannon onto a large natural projection on the cliff face known as 'The Notch'. This would cover a gap in Gibraltar's defences, since until it was achieved Spanish forces could advance using the cliff to shelter themselves from bombardment from the existing fortifications.

Work on the tunnel began on the 25th May 1782 and although this was Gibraltar's first defensive tunnel there would eventually be a total of some 30 miles (approx. 48 kilometers) of tunnels inside the rock."

Parts of the tunnels are open to the public:

Hours: Mon-Sun 09:00 - 18:15; Last Entry 17.45

Admission: Included in Nature Reserve Fee

Coordinates are from the entrance to the Great Siege tunnels.

Group that erected the marker: The City of Gibraltar URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 1b Leanse Place Gibraltar, Gibraltar GX11 1AA

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