Rising 120' sheer above the sea, Parson's Lodge, is a most prominent of a series of batteries which surround Gibraltar's only natural anchorage - Rosia Bay. It was into this bay that HMS Victory was towed, with Lord Nelson's body on board, after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The Moors, who occupied Gibraltar for 727 years and the Spaniards, who stayed for 266 years, were aware of the strategic importance of Parson's Lodge. The former built a wall shortly after 1333 and the latter improved it and recorded it in 1627.

When the British arrived in 1704 it was clearly necessary to protect the anchorage immediately north of Parson's Lodge.

The armament list of 1720 records four guns at Rosia (sic) 2x18 pounders and 2x12 pounders. By 1744 this had risen to 19 guns in Rosia and two, to the South, in Camp Bay. The name Parson's Lodge first appears in writing, in 1761, in a book in the Garrison Library. By 1771 it appeared, by name, in the armaments list. This name seems to be an irreverent reference to the hermitage and chapel of St. John the Green, situated immediately landward of Parson's Lodge Rock.

In 1840 Maj. Gen. Sir John Jones recommended improvements to the battery. These were executed in 1842 and eight guns put in position on the terreplein. Between March and November 1872 the battery was further enhanced to accommodate three 18 ton 10"RML (rifled muzzle loading) guns. These were positioned behind a unique sandwich of armour plate and teak, known as "Gibraltar Shields". These guns, invented and produced in Woolwich, fired a 400lb (181 kilos) armour piercing projectile about 4,500 yards (2.6 miles:4kms). These guns remained in service until 1891.

By the end of the nineteenth century Parson's Lodge was fast becoming a self-sufficient coast artillery searchlight position - with its own generating facility. However, infantry and artillery returned in the two Great Wars and a further spate of building was undertaken by the second Btn. Somerset Light Infantry, in 1941, to accommodate anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft searchlights. The site was abandoned by the military in about 1956 and has been used for training exercises periodically ever since.

This guide cross references to each of the more interesting features at Parsons Lodge.

[2] - Underground 6 Pounder Gun Position
Known as Lower Parsons. From April 1941 , to the end of World War II (WWII), a 6 pounder gun was positioned here to cover the landing places in Rosia Bay. It fired a 6lb. (2.7kg) shell 4,000 yards (2.27 miles: 3.7km).

[4] - C18th Gun Position
From about 1725 to 1840 (when a larger battery was built to the left) a smooth bore gun was positioned here to cover Camp Bay. At one stage it was a 24 pounder (11kg) firing a soild round shot, of that weight, 2,000 yards (1.13 miles: 1.8 km).

[5] & [7] - 6 Pounder Gun Positions
These guns were placed for use against enemy forces attempting to land in Camp and Little Bays. They were mounted on concrete blocks as opposed to the pedestal mounting in 2 above. The threshold to position 7 records that it was completed on Christmas Eve 1941 by the Somerset Light Infantry.

[6] - C18th Gun Position
As described in 4 above. At one stage, this gun would have been a 9 pounder (4 kg) firing a shot of that weight 1,400 yards (.79 miles: 1.2 km).

[8] - Personnel Shelter
There were several of these shelters at Parson`s Lodge, providing cover for all personnel not actually manning fire positions. They were known as "elephant shelters" from the shape the corrugated iron which formed the basis of their construction.

[9] - Medium Machine Gun (MMG) Position
This fire position was occupied by a Vickers MMG whcih was designed to fire .303" ammunition, the same bore as a service rifle, at a rate of 500 rounds per minute. The flanking positions here were manned by rifle men armed with .303 short magazines Lee Enfields (SMLE`s).

[10] - Shaft To Underground Defensive Position
This contained two MMGs and two SMLE apertures in the cliff face overlooking possible enemy landing areas in Camp and Little Bays.

[11] - Admiralty Boundery Marker
The wall in which this stone is set marks the physical bundary between this Royal Artilliery Battery and the Royal Naval Victualling Yard, built in 1808.

[12] - Battery
This large limestone construction replaced its predecessors (see relic to the right) about 1842 in accordance with recomendations of Maj Gen Sir John Jones, and was surmounted, at the time, by eight guns. By 1873, the battery had been adapted to take 3 x 18 ton 10" RML guns. The corridor in front serviced the latter.

[13] & [19] - Shell Store
400 lb (181 kg) 10" solid armour piercing projectiles were stored here. At one stage position 19 was a "side arms store" - in lay parlance, a tool shed.

[14] - Lighting Passage
Stringent precautions were taken to prevent accidental detonation in the cartridge stores. These included "spark free" copper fittings, rope shoes and the obvious measure of lighting magazines through plate glass fronted passages or niches.

[15] - Lamp Room
The oil lamps were stored and serviced in this room.

[16] & [18] - Cartridge Store
There were two types of cartridge 44 lb. (20 kg) and 70 lb (32 kg) contained in bags and tins.

[17] - Cartridge Hoist
At the end of this corridor (and in 12 above) was an apparatus for hoisting cartridges and shells to the guns above.

[20] - Expense Magazines
Cartridges and Projectiles were stored, ready for use, in these four limestone buildings.

• The northern most (No 1 in RA terms) contained hoist apparatus for lifting shells from the storage magazines below. It was surmounted, in WWII, by a Bren gun position - since removed.
• No 2 also had a hoist (for cartridges) and was surmounted from until 1956 with a 90 cm anti aircraft serachlight (AASL). This AASL was 200 million candlepower and could project a concentrated beam 20,000 feet (3.8 miles: 6km).
• No 3 was surmounted by a 3" anti aircraft rocket projector, installed on 16th October, 1942 and since removed.
• No 4 is still surmounted by a bofors 40mm light anti aircraft gun position, completed on 16th November 1941.

[21] - RML Gun Positions
From 1873 to about 1892, 10" rifled muzzle loading guns were positioned in each of the three shielded embrasures. Made in Woolwich, they fired a 400lb (181 kg) projectiles to a range of about 4,500 yards (2.6 miles: 4 km). The gun fired and was protected, from seabourne attack, by a sandwich of armour plate and tyeack, specially invented for use here and known universally as "Gibraltar Shields".