Princess Caroline's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, at the junction of Willis's Road and Queen's Road. The nearby Princess Anne's Battery is often mistakenly referred to as Princess Caroline's Battery. The latter was built in 1732 and named after Princess Caroline, the daughter of King George II. Princess Caroline's Battery was updated in 1905, and a 6 inch Mark VII gun was mounted above the magazine. Later, the battery was decommissioned and the gun removed. The underground magazine is now home to the Military Heritage Centre, which includes the Memorial Chamber.
Princess Caroline's Battery (pictured at right) is in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula.[1][2] The artillery battery is located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, above the Moorish Castle and below Princess Anne's Battery. The site is at the junction of Willis's Road and Queen's Road, and is accessed from town via the former.[3][4][5] It was constructed in 1732 and named after Princess Caroline of Great Britain (pictured at left), the third daughter of King George II.[6] Princess Anne's Battery is often mistakenly referred to as Princess Caroline's Battery, because access to the former is through the junction with Willis's Road, adjacent to the latter battery.[3][7]
The battery saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar and required repairs.[8][9] In 1871, the battery featured a 9-inch rifled muzzle loading gun, with an Elswick Ordnance Company carriage and platform.[10] In 1905, the battery was refurbished to accommodate the 6 inch Mark VII gun (pictured below) that was installed on top of the magazine. While the battery has been decommissioned and the gun removed, the same hoists(pictured below) that were utilised to arm the weapon are still present.[4][6][11] The explosive charges that propelled the 6 inch gun's shells were housed in a room with three small interior windows. Lanterns in the windows illuminated the cartridge storage chamber without the risks inherent with an open flame. The explosive charges were passed through the dispensing hatch (pictured below) at the floor level and were then raised by a hoist to those manning the gun. In order to avoid the danger of an inadvertent explosion caused by a spark, soldiers changed their clothes in an adjacent annex, and even wore special footwear.[11]
The Military Heritage Centre at Princess Caroline's Battery is a small underground exhibition centre.[4][7][12] In addition to relics from the battery, the facility is home to the Memorial Chamber. The relics exhibited date from the eighteenth century to the present, and include weapons, shells, and other artefacts. The Memorial Chamber features the roll call of those regimentsdeployed to Gibraltar since the early eighteenth century. In addition, the ensigns of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy are displayed in the Memorial Chamber (pictured below).[3][6][11] There is also a monument which commemorates British Regiments. While no names are listed on the monument, the dedication is inscribed on its face: "Dedicated To The Memory Of All Those Who Have Made The Supreme Sacrifice In Defence Of Gibraltar."[4][12]
Twenty-first centuryedit
Princess Caroline's Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.[13] The site is under the supervision of the Gibraltar Tourist Board, although its day-to-day operation is licensed to a private company. The arrangement is similar to that for O'Hara's Battery, although the latter was opened more recently to the public, in 2010.[14]
In May 2011, Princess Caroline's Battery and Princess Anne's Battery were the themes of the 22nd annual painting contest sponsored by the Gibraltar Heritage Trust. Prizes were awarded to the winners of the competition by the Governor of GibraltarSir Adrian Johns.[15]
Galleryedit
Military Heritage Centre, with an original hoist used to arm the gun above the magazine
Military Heritage Centre, with annex to the left and cartridge storage room to the right
Memorial Chamber in the Military Heritage Centre, formerly the cartridge storage room
^Roach, John (13 September 2006). . National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
^ abc. discovergibraltar.com. DiscoverGibraltar.com (Click Upper Rock Nature Reserve). Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^ abcd"Princess Caroline's Battery Memorial, Gibralta". roll-of-honour.com. Roll of Honour. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
^(PDF). gibraltarlaws.gov.gi. Government of Gibraltar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^ abc. gibraltar.gi. Official Gibraltar Website. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
^Bethune, John Drinkwater. "Chapter 5". History of the Late Siege of Gibraltar. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^Bethune, John Drinkwater (1786). A history of the late siege of Gibraltar (2 ed.). p. 181. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^Great Britain. War Office. Dept. of Director of Artillery (1872). Extracts from Proceedings ..., Volume 9. pp. 144–145. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^ abc. discovergibraltar.com. DiscoverGibraltar.com (Click Upper Rock Nature Reserve, then Princess Caroline's Battery and Military Heritage Centre). Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^ ab. gibraltarinformation.com. Gibraltarinformation.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
^(PDF). gibraltarlaws.gov.gi. Government of Gibraltar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^"O'Hara's Battery becomes visitor attraction". Gibraltar news from Panorama. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
^Mascarenhas, Alice (19 May 2011). "Gib Heritage Trust Painting Winners Bring 'Batteries' Into Focus". Gibraltar Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Caroline's Battery.
Photograph of Monument in the Memorial Chamber of the Military Heritage Centre at Princess Caroline's Battery
December 15, 2023
princess, caroline, battery, artillery, battery, british, overseas, territory, gibraltar, located, northern, upper, rock, nature, reserve, junction, willis, road, queen, road, nearby, princess, anne, battery, often, mistakenly, referred, latter, built, 1732, n. Princess Caroline s Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar It is located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve at the junction of Willis s Road and Queen s Road The nearby Princess Anne s Battery is often mistakenly referred to as Princess Caroline s Battery The latter was built in 1732 and named after Princess Caroline the daughter of King George II Princess Caroline s Battery was updated in 1905 and a 6 inch Mark VII gun was mounted above the magazine Later the battery was decommissioned and the gun removed The underground magazine is now home to the Military Heritage Centre which includes the Memorial Chamber Princess Caroline s BatteryPart of Fortifications of GibraltarUpper Rock Nature Reserve GibraltarPrincess Caroline s Battery at the Upper Rock Nature ReservePrincess Caroline s BatteryCoordinates36 08 41 N 5 20 53 W 36 144802 N 5 347934 W 36 144802 5 347934TypeArtillery BatterySite informationOwnerGovernment of GibraltarOpen tothe publicYesConditionGoodSite historyBuilt1732In useDecommissioned Houses theMilitary Heritage Centre Contents 1 History 2 Military Heritage Centre 3 Twenty first century 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External linksHistory edit nbsp The daughters of King George II Anne Amelia and Caroline after whom three batteries in Gibraltar were namedPrincess Caroline s Battery pictured at right is in Gibraltar the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula 1 2 The artillery battery is located at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve above the Moorish Castle and below Princess Anne s Battery The site is at the junction of Willis s Road and Queen s Road and is accessed from town via the former 3 4 5 It was constructed in 1732 and named after Princess Caroline of Great Britain pictured at left the third daughter of King George II 6 Princess Anne s Battery is often mistakenly referred to as Princess Caroline s Battery because access to the former is through the junction with Willis s Road adjacent to the latter battery 3 7 The battery saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar and required repairs 8 9 In 1871 the battery featured a 9 inch rifled muzzle loading gun with an Elswick Ordnance Company carriage and platform 10 In 1905 the battery was refurbished to accommodate the 6 inch Mark VII gun pictured below that was installed on top of the magazine While the battery has been decommissioned and the gun removed the same hoists pictured below that were utilised to arm the weapon are still present 4 6 11 The explosive charges that propelled the 6 inch gun s shells were housed in a room with three small interior windows Lanterns in the windows illuminated the cartridge storage chamber without the risks inherent with an open flame The explosive charges were passed through the dispensing hatch pictured below at the floor level and were then raised by a hoist to those manning the gun In order to avoid the danger of an inadvertent explosion caused by a spark soldiers changed their clothes in an adjacent annex and even wore special footwear 11 Military Heritage Centre edit nbsp The 6 inch gun on top of the magazine at Princess Caroline s Battery in GibraltarThe Military Heritage Centre at Princess Caroline s Battery is a small underground exhibition centre 4 7 12 In addition to relics from the battery the facility is home to the Memorial Chamber The relics exhibited date from the eighteenth century to the present and include weapons shells and other artefacts The Memorial Chamber features the roll call of those regiments deployed to Gibraltar since the early eighteenth century In addition the ensigns of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy are displayed in the Memorial Chamber pictured below 3 6 11 There is also a monument which commemorates British Regiments While no names are listed on the monument the dedication is inscribed on its face Dedicated To The Memory Of All Those Who Have Made The Supreme Sacrifice In Defence Of Gibraltar 4 12 Twenty first century editPrincess Caroline s Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust 13 The site is under the supervision of the Gibraltar Tourist Board although its day to day operation is licensed to a private company The arrangement is similar to that for O Hara s Battery although the latter was opened more recently to the public in 2010 14 In May 2011 Princess Caroline s Battery and Princess Anne s Battery were the themes of the 22nd annual painting contest sponsored by the Gibraltar Heritage Trust Prizes were awarded to the winners of the competition by the Governor of Gibraltar Sir Adrian Johns 15 Gallery edit nbsp Military Heritage Centre with an original hoist used to arm the gun above the magazine nbsp Military Heritage Centre with annex to the left and cartridge storage room to the right nbsp Memorial Chamber in the Military Heritage Centre formerly the cartridge storage roomReferences edit List of Crown Dependencies amp Overseas Territories fco gov uk Foreign and Commonwealth Office Retrieved 13 October 2012 Roach John 13 September 2006 Neandertals Last Stand Was in Gibraltar Study Suggests National Geographic News National Geographic Society Archived from the original on 14 November 2006 Retrieved 13 October 2012 a b c Upper Rock Nature Reserve discovergibraltar com DiscoverGibraltar com Click Upper Rock Nature Reserve Archived from the original on 5 September 2013 Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b c d Princess Caroline s Battery Memorial Gibralta roll of honour com Roll of Honour Retrieved 13 October 2012 Criminal Offences Restricted Areas Notice PDF gibraltarlaws gov gi Government of Gibraltar Archived from the original PDF on 25 July 2012 Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b c Military Heritage gibraltar gi Official Gibraltar Website Archived from the original on 16 June 2013 Retrieved 13 October 2012 a b Princess Caroline visitgibraltar uk com Gibraltar Tourist Board Retrieved 13 October 2012 Bethune John Drinkwater Chapter 5 History of the Late Siege of Gibraltar Retrieved 14 October 2012 Bethune John Drinkwater 1786 A history of the late siege of Gibraltar 2 ed p 181 Retrieved 14 October 2012 Great Britain War Office Dept of Director of Artillery 1872 Extracts from Proceedings Volume 9 pp 144 145 Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b c Princess Caroline s Battery and Military Heritage Centre discovergibraltar com DiscoverGibraltar com Click Upper Rock Nature Reserve then Princess Caroline s Battery and Military Heritage Centre Archived from the original on 5 September 2013 Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Historical Gibraltar Attractions continued gibraltarinformation com Gibraltarinformation com Archived from the original on 26 February 2012 Retrieved 13 October 2012 Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act 1989 PDF gibraltarlaws gov gi Government of Gibraltar Archived from the original PDF on 27 August 2012 Retrieved 14 October 2012 O Hara s Battery becomes visitor attraction Gibraltar news from Panorama 20 May 2010 Retrieved 14 October 2012 Mascarenhas Alice 19 May 2011 Gib Heritage Trust Painting Winners Bring Batteries Into Focus Gibraltar Chronicle Archived from the original on 7 January 2013 Retrieved 13 October 2012 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess Caroline s Battery Photograph of Monument in the Memorial Chamber of the Military Heritage Centre at Princess Caroline s Battery Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Princess Caroline 27s Battery amp oldid 1185984177, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
