Wellington Front

Ref: HLFP3/035

Wellington Front, named in honour of Field-Marshal Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, was built in the 1840's on the site of the earlier southern stretch of the Moorish and Spanish line wall, which connected up to the South Bastion.

Link to Line Wall Curtain to South Bastion

In 1826, there was a proposal to update and rebuild the Line Wall with a new bastion projected to be constructed between the King’s Bastion and the South Bastion, although nothing was carried out at the time.

In 1840, Major-General John Jones again proposed a reinforcement of the fortifications on this site and following a re-design of it in 1845, the Front was re-constructed. It contained casemated accommodation for troops and heavy guns would be mounted behind a curtain wall, bounded by two demi-bastions. The latter were built on the site of the Plataforma de San Diego to the north and the Plataforma de San Francisco to the south. These two demi-bastions were subsequently named North and South Bastion respectively.

1826 Plan for the realignment of the Line Wall showing plans to build a bastion along this section of line wall.

The works were carried out by convict labour with a total of 900 prisoners undertaking the project on a daily basis and then taken back to their secure lodgings aboard the prison ship HMS Owen Glendower, berthed in the harbour. It was later estimated that local labour would have been cheaper, more productive and employed labour could legally work have worked for longer hours than British convicts.

Initially built with embrasures for about 15 guns, there was one arms shed and three traverses. A further arms shed was added and a small magazine in the gorge which was referred to as the Regimental Magazine.

1866 - Wellington Front Charles Lygon Somers Cocks.

In the report of 1856, it was proposed to rearm this front with 68-pounders; by 1863, there were seven of these on site together with four 32-pounders and four 8-inch Smooth Bore guns for flank defence. In 1878, these were replaced by one heavy 12.5-inch 36-ton RML gun behind an armoured iron shield. The gun has since been removed, but its emplacement is still clearly visible on top of the face of the front's right demi-bastion.

In 1886, Wellington Front had the following shown on its returns: four 8-inch Smooth Bore guns, one 12.5ins RML (In the new Iron Shield Position on Northern Dem-Bastion 1879), one 64/32lbs RML (garrison standing gun carriage) two 32lbs Smooth Bore guns (garrison standing gun carriage), three 10-inch RML, three 64/32lbs RML (garrison standing gun carriage) and two 32lbs SM (garrison standing gun carriage).

Within three years, however, armament on the front had been reduced to four 8-inch Smooth Bore guns and one 12.5ins RML in the north demi-bastion, no guns on the centre front and two 32-pounders and one 64-pounder at the southern demi-bastion which was gone by 1897. The 12.5-inch RML was also removed in 1902 although where the gun was taken remains a mystery.

Town from Genoese Battery. Wellington Front casemates and North Flank can be seem bottom left.

Wellington Front Right Bastion casemates for 12.5 inch RML.

During WWI Wellington Front became the Headquarters of the newly formed Gibraltar Defence Force. During the war the Corps provided substantial reinforcement to assist in the defence of the Rock. The Gibraltar Volunteer Corps provided the first guard of honour ever mounted by a body of Gibraltarian soldiers, this was on Saturday 18th December 1915 for the Governor. The Corps was disbanded on the 1^st February 1920 two years after hostilities had ceased.

The Calpe Volunteers pledging to fight, later becoming the Gibraltar Defence Force (Unknown).

During WWII a number of accretions were hastily erected along the front; a Bofors Gun Emplacement built on the casemated roof of the RML gun position, two pillboxes next to two Depression range finder (DRF) pillars located on either flank of the front. The right demi-bastion also houses a WWII era nissen hut which later became a Parish Centre and is now used as a local mosque.

Wellington Front circa 1938.

Wellington Front was found to be surplus to defence requirements in the 1950s/60s and the casemated accommodation was leased out to a number of entities including the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, Gibraltar Government workshops, the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, the Gibraltar Football Association and other charitable and sporting bodies. In 2012, a major restoration and beautification project was carried out by the Gibraltar Government; existing accretions and obsolete buildings on the site were removed and a pedestrian promenade established along the top of the wall.

The last phase of the renovations involves the introduction of the cycle path and promenade along the top of the wall will open up another section of our City Walls this involves the deconstruction of the old nissen hut building once the mosque has been suitably relocated. however, the present plans are to leave the skeleton of the hut which will add interest to the area and also provide a shaded spot once greenery has been allowed to become established.