The buildings in which this exhibition is housed are probably one of the first buildings ever constructed by the British in Gibraltar thus dating back to the beginning of the 18th Century.

Originally it is thought that they were built as magazines to store ammunition and that the courtyard in the centre, part of which can still be seen today, was used as a laboratory to prepare ammunition.

This area is known as Willis's Magazine. These batteries were erected in time to open on the enemy on the 12th October 1779. They were planned by Colonel Willis, Royal Engineers, after whom they are named.

Undoubtedly the most important aspect of these buildings is the graffiti that can be seen on the walls, the earliest of which dates back to 1726. It is thought that soldiers mounting guard in the area used to spend their time drawing so as not to fall asleep during the long hours of duty, an offence punishable by death in those days.

There is much graffiti, all equally interesting, yet there are two outstanding ones featuring a drawing of a galleon together with a graffiti attributed to sergeant Major Ince, the architect of the Great Siege Tunnels. In this area the visitor can also see the water cisterns used in those days together with the drainage system, part of which has been faithfully restored to give the visitor an accurate display of how the system worked.

Whilst visiting these, one should not miss the spectacular views,  which offer a very different panorama of the Rock, the City and the Bay of Gibraltar. The various exhibits within this area of great historical value depict scenes of how the civilian population lived during those very hard times and relate the quaint and often fascinating stories that have been passed down to our days of how the first British settlers of Gibraltar had to cope with life.