Green's Lodge Battery

Green's Lodge Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on the North Face of the Rock of Gibraltar at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, above Farringdon's Battery. Also known as the Superior Battery, it was named after General Sir William Green, who served in Gibraltar for twenty-two years, most of them as the chief engineer of Gibraltar. In 1776, guns were first mounted on the battery, which also saw action during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. The emplacement also underwent reconstruction in the early and mid twentieth century. Green's Lodge Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Green's Lodge Battery
Part of Fortifications of Gibraltar
Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Gibraltar
Green's Lodge Battery, Gibraltar
Green's Lodge Nature Trail (A-B-C), Green's Lodge Battery (D), Middle Hill Nature Trail (E), Middle Hill Battery (F-G)
Green's Lodge Battery
Coordinates36.145293°N 5.343811°W / 36.145293; -5.343811
TypeArtillery Battery
Site information
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionPoor
Site history
Built1776
Battles/warsGreat Siege of Gibraltar

Early history

Green's Lodge Battery is in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula.[1][2] The artillery battery is located more than 1,000 feet up the North Face of the Rock of Gibraltar, at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, above Farringdon's Battery and adjacent to Ministry of Defence property.[3][4] Also referred to as the Superior Battery, the emplacement is positioned at the end of the Green's Lodge Nature Trail, off Signal Station Road.[3][4][5] Green's Lodge Nature Trail is more formally referred to as Green's Lodge Road, although it bears little resemblance to a road in its current state.[6]

The battery was built in 1776, at which time five 24-pounder guns were mounted. The number of guns was later decreased to two. The emplacement was in active use at the time of the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 – 1783).[4][7] In October 1779, the considerable success of the military operations from Green's Lodge Battery during the Great Siege was such that the engineers were induced to construct a battery at Middle Hill, the Rock Gun Battery, which is now on Ministry of Defence property.[7]

Over the years, the emplacement has undergone reconstruction. In the early twentieth century, an observation post and the hall leading to it were built. Later, in the mid twentieth century, during the Second World War, an additional observation post was constructed.[4]

William Green
Sir William Green (1725 – 1811)

Green's Lodge Battery was named after General Sir William Green, 1st Baronet Green of Marass, Kent (1725 – 1811). Green was an officer of the British Army who served on the European continent and in Canada until about 1761, when he was named senior engineer of Gibraltar. The following year he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Green designed and executed a number of military works on the Rock, and was promoted to chief engineer of Gibraltar in 1770.[8] In 1772, his idea for a regiment of military artificers, rather than the civilian mechanics who had traditionally built military works, came to fruition. The Soldier Artificer Company was established that year. Their works included King's Bastion, which Green also designed. They represented the predecessor of the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners.[9][10] Green was promoted to colonel in 1777, and ascended in rank to major general before leaving Gibraltar. He served in the capacity of chief engineer throughout the Great Siege of Gibraltar, designing, executing, and repairing fortifications throughout the siege. Green was in Gibraltar for twenty-two years, from 1761 to 1783. After his return to England following the conclusion of the Great Siege, he was named chief engineer of Great Britain and a baronetcy was created for him. By 1798, he had been promoted to a full general.[8]

Recent history
The climb to Green' Lodge Battery

Green's Lodge Battery is accessed via the Green's Lodge Nature Trail which goes out through a gap in the fencing surrounding Signal Station Road. The condition of the battery is generally poor, with the battery and the surrounding area derelict. Rubble is strewn throughout and the area is a favourite of a small herd of mountain goats. The view from the battery includes North Front Cemetery, the airport runway, and the town of La Línea de la Concepción in Spain. Below Green's Lodge, Farringdon's Battery perches on the cliff.[4]

Green's Lodge Battery is listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.[3]

References
  1. "List of Crown Dependencies & Overseas Territories". fco.gov.uk. Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  2. Roach, John (10 October 2006). "Neandertals' Last Stand was in Gibraltar, Study Suggests". National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  3. "Gibraltar Heritage Trust Act 1989" (PDF). gibraltarlaws.gov.gi. Government of Gibraltar. Retrieved 2 Nov 2012.
  4. "Green's Lodge Battery (D)". discovergibraltar.com. DiscoverGibraltar.com (Click Gun Batteries, Green's Lodge Battery, then D - Green's Lodge Battery). Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  5. "Map of Green's Lodge Battery". maps.google.com. Google Maps. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  6. "Green's Lodge Battery - Nature Trail (A, B, C)". discovergibraltar.com. DiscoverGibraltar.com (Click Gun Batteries, then Green's Lodge Battery). Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  7. Drinkwater Bethune, John (1786). A history of the late siege of Gibraltar (2 ed.). pp. 64–68. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  8. Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1890). "Green, William (1725-1811)". en.wikisource.org. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 23. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  9. Charles Dickens, ed. (1855). Household words, Volume 11. Bradbury & Evans. pp. 410–411. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  10. Chartrand, Rene (2006). Gibraltar 1779 - 1783 (illustrated ed.). Osprey Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 1841769770. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
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