Coastal Gibraltar cave converted into Ragged Staff ammunition magazine.
Ragged Staff Cave is a sea-level cave bordering Gibraltar’s harbour in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Discovered during nineteenth-century tunnelling on the Rock of Gibraltar, it was converted into Ragged Staff Magazine by the Admiralty in 1901. The cave contains submerged passages and brackish lakes within its interior.
Ragged Staff Cave is a cave at sea level on the Rock of Gibraltar, bordering Gibraltar’s harbour in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was discovered in the nineteenth century during tunnelling work on the Rock. Compared with higher caves such as St. Michael’s Cave, it has fewer deposits. In 1901 the Admiralty decided to convert the cave so that it could be used as an ammunition magazine, known as Ragged Staff Magazine. Because the surrounding ground consisted of red sand, the approach to the cave was lined with bricks. The magazine took four years to complete. By the start of the First World War, Ragged Staff Magazine formed part of a complex of sixteen magazines served by two parallel spine tunnels, which were directly linked to HM Dockyard, Gibraltar, by a long access tunnel. The cave is at sea level and contains submerged passages and brackish lakes. The name “Ragged Staff” is associated with nearby Ragged Staff Gates, and one proposed but unconfirmed origin links it to the heraldic symbol of Morvidus, a legendary Earl of Warwick, although there is no consensus on this explanation.
