Ancient underground water reservoir at Europa Point, southern Gibraltar.
Nun’s Well is an ancient subterranean water reservoir at Europa Point in Gibraltar, dating from the Moorish period before 1462. It provided early artificial water supply, serving the military in the eighteenth century and a nearby brewery in the early nineteenth century. Restored in 1988 by the Royal Engineers.
Nun’s Well is an ancient subterranean water reservoir in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, at Europa Point, the territory’s southernmost tip. The cistern lies on Europa New Road at Europa Flats, opposite the south entrance to Keightley Way Tunnel and just south of the Ibrahim‑al‑Ibrahim Mosque, near the Europa Point Lighthouse. Access on the east side is via stairs leading down to a door at underground level. Inside are a pair of large underground arched chambers into which groundwater was allowed to drain, providing one of the earliest known examples of artificial water supply in Gibraltar. The reservoir is believed to date from the Moorish period, before 1462. Its name is thought to derive from nuns associated with the nearby Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, another historic site at Europa Point. In the eighteenth century Nun’s Well supplied water to the military garrison. In the early nineteenth century it provided water for a brewery built beside it, later converted into military barracks. In 1988 the Royal Engineers constructed the present main building over the site, a restored, castle‑like structure. Nun’s Well later became the focus of controversy during restoration works carried out in 2010–2011.
