Watchtower within Gibraltar’s Moorish Castle walls, later converted to clocktower.
Stanley Clocktower is a watchtower forming part of Gibraltar’s Moorish Castle walls, at their south‑eastern corner. The surrounding walls were first built in 1160 and repeatedly damaged and rebuilt. In 1845 the south‑east tower was chosen to house a clock for the garrison, becoming known as Stanley Tower.
Stanley Clocktower is a historic watchtower that formed part of the defensive walls of the Moorish Castle in Gibraltar, standing at the south‑eastern angle of those fortifications. The walls around the castle were built in 1160 by the Malagan architect Aljas Yahiz, acting under the orders of the Almohad sultan Abd al‑Mumin. These early walls were destroyed when Castilian troops reconquered Gibraltar in 1309. In 1333, when Muslim forces recaptured Gibraltar, the tower was rebuilt and the castle complex was organised into several sections: the Qasbah, with walls extending to the south‑east tower; the Villa Vieja, located below the Qasbah; and the Barcina, the harbour area. During the sieges of the eighteenth century the walls suffered extensive damage. The north‑west tower was destroyed, but the south‑east tower survived intact. In 1845 the authorities decided to provide a clock for the garrison to regulate time more effectively. The south‑east tower was chosen because it was visible from the castle, the port and many places in the northern district. The newly adapted structure received the name Stanley Tower in honour of Lord Stanley, then Secretary of State for the Colonies.
