The Town / Main Street, Gibraltar

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The gardens were opened in 1816 as the Alameda Gardens. The name coming from the Spanish, Alamo, which was a tree grown along the Grand Parade. In the 1970's the gardens fell into disrepair and remained like that until the early 1990's when they were converted into the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. Today as well as a being a lovely place to visit, they are used for conservation and education puposes. As you walk round them you'll see many plants that are native only to Gibraltar.

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After dark Casemates Square and the bars & restaurants in the nearby streets were quite busy. Many of the other streets I walked along were almost deserted. However, Gibraltar had a relaxed feel to it at night and I felt totally safe walking about.

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The land border was only reopened in 1982. the Spanish dictator Franco had closed the land border in 1969 and was forever trying to find ways to isolate Gibraltar. Many of these stunts worked, at least for a while.

However, Gibraltar needed the Spanish workers, and the Spanish workers were all too happy to work in Gibraltar, on British wage scales far better than what they had in Spain.

Prince Edward Gate, built in 1790, was incorporated into Charles V walls. It got its name a couple of decades later after Prince Edward, the father of Queen Victoria who was governor of Gibraltar from 1802 to 1820.

Gibraltar’s main pedestrian street with most shops is Main Street. It starts at Casemates Square and goes down to Sothport Gate. Some sights, like the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, are located there too. If you are into duty free shopping, that is the place you should go too. Many goods are cheaper than in Britain or Spain. However, keep an eye on the price as many are especially aimed at tourists and charge touristy prices. The same goes for all the pubs and restaurants un the street too.

Some time ago, Gibraltar was kind of divided into several quarters. Giving the size of Gibraltar, I still do not know which purpose it had, but anyway, we have an Irish twon consisting of more or less a single street. Do not expect a never-ending St. Patrick’s Day Party but nice old town houses with some good bars and restaurants. And yes, some of them are Irish-themed too.

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Southport Gate, originally called “Puerta del Africa”, is part of the defence system constructed by Emperor Charles V in the mid-16th century. Together with the walls which bear his name, they defended the city from invasions from the South for several centuries. His coat of arms as well as several other symbols (including the Pillars of Hercules) can be seen over the outer right arch (when lokking towards the city center). They were not removed when the English captured Gibraltar in 1704, the coat of arms remained untouched, even when the gate was refurbished in the 19th century. Southport Gate, however, was not the first gate to stand on this position. In pre-moorish times, there was already a fortress on that spot.

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At Linewall Road, close to the Piazza, two russian cannons are displayed. They were captured in the crimean war and brought to Gibraltar in 1858. There are two more of them somewhere else in Gibraltar, but I haven’t seen them. The WWI memorial between them was unveiled in 1923.