I returned to Gibraltar in 2010, a place I had visited many times over the years but still enjoyed exploring with a camera. The familiar streets, the harbour and the Rock offered plenty to photograph, as well as a chance to see what had changed since my previous visits.
My cousin Linda joined me for part of the trip. It was a pleasure to share some of Gibraltar with her while also having time to wander and take photographs at my own pace. This collection records the places and small details that caught my eye during that visit.
Traditional black-and-gold street lamps, palm trees and the shuttered façade of Gibraltar City Hall lend a distinctly Mediterranean character to John Mackintosh Square. A sign for the Brahma Kumaris meditation centre can be seen on the right. Gibraltar, 2010.
Excavated walls and foundations in the garden of the Gibraltar Museum reveal traces of earlier buildings buried beneath the modern town. The carefully preserved remains illustrate Gibraltar’s long and complex history of settlement. Photographed in 2010.
A closer view of the excavated structures preserved in the garden of the Gibraltar Museum. Successive layers of stonework and flooring reveal how later buildings were constructed over earlier remains, while the small brick arch marks the entrance to an underground drain or water channel. Gibraltar, 2010.
A sweeping view from the Upper Rock across Gibraltar Harbour and the Bay towards Algeciras, backed by the hills of southern Spain. Merchant ships and bunkering vessels lie within the sheltered waters, while the harbour’s long breakwaters extend across the bay below. Gibraltar, 2010.
A panoramic view across the Bay of Gibraltar from just outside the Upper Galleries, or Great Siege Tunnels. Merchant ships and tankers lie at anchor beyond Gibraltar’s dockyard and harbour moles, with Algeciras and the hills of southern Spain stretching across the horizon. Gibraltar, 2010.
Looking west across the Bay of Gibraltar towards Algeciras and the mountains of southern Spain. Tankers and other merchant vessels lie in the busy anchorage, while the blue container cranes of Algeciras line the distant shore. Part of Gibraltar Harbour’s North Mole, or Western Arm, appears in the foreground. Gibraltar, 2010.
A young Barbary macaque examines a packet apparently handed to it by a local taxi driver. Although feeding Gibraltar’s macaques was once commonly encouraged as part of the visitor experience, it is now prohibited because human food can harm their health and encourage aggressive behaviour. Gibraltar, 2010.
Barbary macaque, Gibraltar, 2010. One of Gibraltar’s famous macaques investigates a discarded confectionery wrapper beside a visitor—an illustration of why feeding the animals is discouraged, as human food and packaging can harm them.
St Michael’s Cave, Gibraltar, 2010. Illuminated stalactites, stalagmites and flowing curtains of calcite reveal the spectacular limestone formations within the Rock of Gibraltar’s famous natural cavern.
St Michael’s Cave, Gibraltar, 2010. A visitor walkway winds through the cavern beneath dramatic stalactites, flowstone and curtain-like calcite formations, highlighted by coloured lighting within the Rock of Gibraltar.
St Michael’s Cave, Gibraltar, 2010. Warm lighting accentuates the cavern’s immense columns of flowstone, where countless layers of calcite deposited over thousands of years have formed intricate folds resembling frozen waterfalls.
Barbary macaque, Gibraltar, 2010. One of the Rock’s famous macaques sits confidently beside a stairway, its heavy build and mature features suggesting an adult member of Gibraltar’s free-ranging colony.
Barbary macaque, Gibraltar, 2010. One of Gibraltar’s free-ranging macaques walks along a viewpoint high on the Rock, with the harbour, breakwater and vessels visible far below.
Barbary macaque overlooking Gibraltar’s dockyard, 2010. One of the Rock’s famous macaques rests at a high viewpoint, with the historic dockyard buildings and the waters of the Bay of Gibraltar spread out far below.
Cannon in the Great Siege Tunnels, Gibraltar, 2010. Viewed from behind, the gun points through an embrasure cut into the Rock. Its heavy carriage and adjustment wheel illustrate how Gibraltar’s artillery could be aimed from within the defensive tunnels.
Gibraltar International Airport and the frontier, 2010. Viewed northwards from the Rock, the runway stretches across the isthmus, with the North Front Cemetery in the foreground and the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción beyond. Construction work for Gibraltar’s new airport terminal can be seen beside the apron.
Cousin Linda in the Great Siege Tunnels, Gibraltar, 2010. Linda stands beside an old wooden door set into one of the narrow passages excavated through the limestone of the Rock as part of Gibraltar’s extensive defensive tunnel system.
Officer in the Great Siege Tunnels, Gibraltar, 2010. A life-sized figure of an 18th-century British officer forms part of a recreated scene illustrating the soldiers and engineers who worked within the Rock during the Great Siege of 1779–1783. The tunnels were excavated from 1782 under the supervision of Sergeant-Major Henry Ince.
Historic firefighting equipment in the Great Siege Tunnels, Gibraltar, 2010. A wheeled fire extinguisher stands among wooden storage crates inside the Rock, illustrating the precautions taken against fire in the confined tunnels where ammunition and other military supplies were stored.
Second World War wheeled fire extinguisher, Great Siege Tunnels, Gibraltar, 2010. This large portable extinguisher was mounted on a two-wheeled carriage so that it could be moved rapidly through the tunnels. Its substantial capacity provided protection for the enclosed areas containing electrical equipment and military stores.
Gibraltar Airport and La Línea, 2010. Looking north from the Rock across the RAF Sports Ground and Gibraltar International Airport’s runway. Beyond the frontier lies the Spanish town of La Línea de la Concepción, with its Mediterranean shoreline stretching northwards towards the distant mountains of Andalusia.
Spanish shore across the Bay of Gibraltar, 2010. Looking west from the Rock across the deep-blue waters of the bay towards the coastline of Campo de Gibraltar, with rolling Andalusian countryside rising towards the hazy mountains beyond.
View across Gibraltar Bay towards Guadarranque, 2010. Part of Gibraltar Airport’s approach-lighting system stands in the water near a cargo vessel. Beyond lies the Spanish village and beach of Guadarranque, backed by the green hills and mountains of Andalusia.