Series of artillery batteries within Gibraltar’s heavily fortified Northern Defences.
Castle Batteries are a series of artillery batteries forming part of the Northern Defences of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. They descend from the Moorish Castle to Crutchett's Batteries, where brick-vaulted bombproof casemates exist. Positioned near Landport, they contributed to defending Gibraltar’s only landward gate from northern attack.
Castle Batteries are a series of artillery batteries that form part of the Northern Defences of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. They are one element of the wider Fortifications of Gibraltar. The line of batteries descends down the Rock from the Moorish Castle and ends at the sixth and seventh batteries, which are known as Crutchett's Batteries. Beneath Crutchett's Battery there are brick vaulted bombproof rooms, described as casemates. The batteries occupy a key position overlooking Gibraltar’s northern approach. Historical accounts note that armies can only attack Gibraltar without ships from the north, and this area around the only gate to Spain, called Landport, is therefore heavily fortified. Contemporary description by Cornwell records that Landport was defended by several batteries on the glacis of Landport, by Crutchett's Battery and by the Grand Battery. He speculated that no army could withstand the grapeshot from 400 pieces of heavy artillery deployed in this sector. A historical view from 1567 shows the northern approach to Gibraltar with batteries visible one above another up the side of the Rock, illustrating the stepped defensive arrangement that characterises the Castle Batteries and their associated works.
