Historic coastal bastion in Gibraltar, later adapted for youth services.
Montagu Bastion is a historic bastion in Gibraltar, originally built in 1730 on the remains of the Spanish Plataforma de San Andrés. Enlarged in 1773 and again in the 1790s with a counterguard and breakwater, it later mounted powerful artillery. Today it houses a gym, youth service offices and a 42‑bed youth hostel.
Montagu Bastion is a historic bastion forming part of the fortifications of Gibraltar. It was built in 1730 on the remains of the Spanish Plataforma de San Andrés, and a British bastion already existed on the site in the 1730s. The structure was enlarged in 1773, giving it a pentagonal plan. In the 1790s Sir William Green oversaw further improvements, extending Montagu Bastion and adding a counterguard in front of it that followed the bastion’s shape. This counterguard had been authorised by the Duke of Richmond in 1787. A new city gate, Montagu Gate, was cut through the adjoining Montagu Curtain in 1792. By 1859 the bastion mounted 29 guns, making it the most powerful bastion in Gibraltar, not including the artillery of the counterguard and six guns on the curtain. Three RML 10‑inch 18‑ton guns with protective shields were installed in 1880 and removed in 1907. In 1931 four QF 3‑inch 20 cwt guns were installed, and during the Second World War two QF 3.7‑inch anti‑aircraft guns were emplaced. Today Montagu Bastion contains a gym, offices for the Gibraltar Youth Service and the 42‑bed Emile youth hostel, while remains of the Gibraltar Shields still survive in situ.
