The Hole in the Wall Gate refers to a gap in an old Moorish wall situated along the cliffs leading to Upper Europa from Europa Advance. Writing in 1771, Thomas James described how the defences on the eastern flank of the Rock had been strengthened in 1733, noting the presence of a broken passage through the remains of a Moorish wall — the feature that later became known as the Hole in the Wall Gate.¹

“At present, Europa Advance is held by a sergeant’s guard, with a circular wall facing the sea and three embrasures. Several rocks which had once aided the marines of Sir George Rooke’s fleet in their ascent have since been blasted and carefully scarped to strengthen the position. A new guardhouse for officers and men was built in 1733, containing five embrasures facing the sergeant’s advance.

This area was once a small fishing settlement, where fishermen lived and could easily climb up and down to the shore. It is now transformed into an inaccessible precipice. Between this position and the corporal’s advance, two pieces of cannon are mounted.

The corporal’s advance marks the furthest boundary at the back of the hill, beyond which there is no passage. To the right lies the sea at the foot of the cliff; in front, a great precipice; and to the left, an impassable rock. The guard here serves no other purpose than to observe the sea and the rear of the hill.

From the sergeant’s advance, a steep road ascends to Upper Europa, passing through a broken gap in the remains of an old Moorish wall, which survives in better condition than most of the other Moorish works, many of which were constructed of tapia.”

According to Rollo, a keystone dated 1799 was found near the site, suggesting that an arched gateway had once existed there before its removal.²

Major General Sir John Thomas Jones’s Report of 1840 recommended that:³

The gateway through the Moorish Wall behind its eastern flank was to be provided with a couvre-port (a covered defensive passage), and the existing Moorish fortifications on that side were to undergo necessary repairs.

It is possible that the removal of the arched gate, probably as a result of Jones’s recomendations, give rise to the name Hole in The Wall.

¹ JAMES Thomas Lt. Col: The History of the Herculean Straits: Now Called the Straits of Gibraltar including those ports of Spain and Barbary that lie contiguous thereto. Volume II, London (1771)., p. 311-312.

² Rollo, Major Denis: Guns on the Rock. The British Artillery Defences of Gibraltar 1704-1989 (1990)., p. 335.

³ Ibid., p. 26.

Hole in the Wall looking down to Europa Advance.

The Old Moorish Wall and left flank of the Retrenchment Block from the Hole in the Wall.

The Old Moorish Wall.