Princess Anne's Battery: A Historic Military Site Overlooking Gibraltar

Princess Anne's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, located on the Willis’s Plateau at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. It was initially known as the 3rd Willis's Battery, but was later renamed after Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the eldest daughter of George II. This battery is often confused with other batteries in the area, such as Princess Caroline’s Battery. In 1732, guns were first mounted at the battery, which saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.

The battery was updated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the latter modernisation entailing the installation of four QF 5.25 inch guns with both anti-aircraft and coastal defence capabilities. The battery was manned until the early 1980s but has been decommissioned since. The guns were refurbished in the early 21st century, and represent the largest intact battery of 5.25-inch anti-aircraft guns. Princess Anne’s Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons