Limestone stalactite cave south of Sandy Bay on Gibraltar’s eastern side.
Mediterranean Cave is a limestone cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, south of Sandy Bay on the Rock’s eastern side. Discovered in 1902 during Admiralty quarrying, it was once described as a remarkably fine stalactite cave and later became an Admiralty Distillery in 1942.
Mediterranean Cave is a limestone cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, south of Sandy Bay and on the eastern side of the Rock. The present cave was discovered in August 1902 as a result of quarrying by the Admiralty. Reports described a chamber about 40 feet high, 70 feet wide and 350 feet long. Because of its size it was initially called a “mammoth cave”, although another cave on Gibraltar already had that name. A photograph of its stalactites appeared in The Illustrated London News in November 1902, and the story was also reported in Australia, where it was still referred to as “Mammoth Cave” before the name Mediterranean Cave was used. A 1910 description of Gibraltar’s caves singled out Mediterranean Cave as a “great cave” and “a most remarkably fine stalactite cave, containing stalactites and stalagmites of an infinite variety of form and size.” In 1942 the cave became an Admiralty Distillery. The Government of Gibraltar considers the cave significant and specifically lists it in the Heritage and Antiquities Act 2018. That listing also notes nearby pillboxes and a fallout shelter, which are included together with the cave in the government’s records.
