The Great Siege Tunnels in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, also known as the Upper Galleries, are a series of tunnels inside the northern end of the Rock of Gibraltar. They were dug out from the solid limestone by the British during the Great Siege of Gibraltar of the late 18th century.
Great Siege Tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar.
Guns look to the north defending The Rock from an attack by land
View of The Notch as seen from Devil's Tower Road
Concrete depiction of George Augustus Eliott, a Koehler Depressing Carriage and the crest of the Royal Engineers at the entrance to the tunnels.
The tunnels of Gibraltar were constructed over the course of nearly 200 years, principally by the British Army. Within a land area of only 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), Gibraltar has around 34 miles (55 km) of tunnels, nearly twice the length of its entire road network. The first tunnels, excavated in the late 18th century, served as communication passages between artillery positions and housed guns within embrasures cut into the North Face of the Rock. More tunnels were constructed in the 19th century to allow easier access to remote areas of Gibraltar and accommodate stores and reservoirs to deliver the water supply of Gibraltar.
Entrance to the Prince's Gallery, excavated in 1790
The Rock of Gibraltar viewed from the north-west
Reconstruction showing members of the Soldier Artificer Company digging the Upper Gallery
Inside a gallery on the Rock of Gibraltar, engraved by I.C. Stadler after Rev C. Willyams (c. 1800)