Historic demi-bastion in Gibraltar’s Northern Defences on Rock slopes.
Hesse's Demi Bastion is a demi-bastion in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It forms part of the Northern Defences, linking fortifications that climb the lower north‑west slopes of the Rock of Gibraltar, below King’s Lines Battery and Bombproof Battery, with the Moorish Castle’s Tower of Homage above.
Hesse's Demi Bastion is a demi-bastion within the fortifications of Gibraltar, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It forms part of the Northern Defences of Gibraltar and is one element in a chain of fortifications that ascend the lower north‑west slopes of the Rock of Gibraltar, below the King’s Lines Battery and Bombproof Battery. The Moorish Castle’s Tower of Homage stands at the top of the same incline. The bastion is owned by the Government of Gibraltar. During the Spanish period it was originally known as the Baluado de S. Pedro, or St Peter’s Bastion. After the Capture of Gibraltar in 1704 under Prince George of Hesse‑Darmstadt, after whom the demi‑bastion is named, the old Spanish bastion was rebuilt and renamed by the British in 1730. In 1762, during the Seven Years’ War, it was armed with two 18‑pounders and four 4‑pounders to flank the ditch in front of the Landport Gate. By 1885 the bastion’s guns were all 32‑pounders. Hesse’s Demi Bastion is included among the bastions in Gibraltar and is part of the wider fortifications that defend the territory’s northern approach.
