Europa Point, the southern end of Gibraltar, has long been a site of fortifications. Among those structures is Harding's Battery, named for Sir George Harding, who built it on the remains of the 7th Europa Battery in 1859. Initially, it housed two 18-pounder guns, but in 1863, they were replaced with 32-pounders.
In 1878, a 12.5-inch 38 ton RML gun was commissioned to fire 800-pound projectiles, following recommendations from 1868. However, the large RML was eventually removed and from the start of World War II this battery was the location of a Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. In 2010, the area underwent a makeover, unearthing Harding's Battery from under a mound of sand and converting the magazine below into a visitor center with displays providing information on local history.
In 2013, a 12.5-inch 38 ton RML gun - actually weighing 45 tonnes (50 tons) - was installed on a replica carriage at Harding's Battery. This gun, found half buried at the southern entrance to Gibdock and dating from the 1870s, is identical to the battery's original gun. Its installation was made possible by the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, which organized and partly funded the construction of a replacement carriage.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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